Henry Roy Real Estate, Ascend Realty, Rapid City South Dakota
Box Elder Neighborhoods

Freedom Estates

The value play in Box Elder: newer homes, room to keep building, and a little more drive to the schools in exchange for a lower price point.

Typical Lot
0.18 acres at the median, about 7,800 sq ft. The middle half runs 0.16 to 0.21 acres.

Facts checked August 2026

If Liberty Plaza is Box Elder's new downtown and Raider Pointe is the finished one by the gate, Freedom Estates is the value play. You give up a little convenience to the schools and live with more construction around you, and the recent sale record has generally landed lower. The street names lean into the theme hard: Bennington, Vicksburg, Yorktown, Trenton, Gettysburg. County records call the only recorded plat Freedom Estates Subd #2. There is no Phase 1 hiding somewhere, because apparently subdivision naming can be weird for free. A large chunk of the plat is still open ground, so this is not a finished-neighborhood purchase. You are buying the house and the future street around it. Check what is platted next door before you decide the backyard view is part of the deal.

Why buyers start here

City of Box Elder utilities, Douglas School District and a gate commute that is still short, without paying the top end of the newer Box Elder market. That is the pitch.

Top Shelf Construction builds here and much of the inventory sells builder direct, so a normal MLS search makes the neighborhood look quieter than it really is.

What is still being built

County records show substantial bare ground still inside the plat, plus three multi-family parcels. That means construction traffic for a while and it means the future mix around a specific lot matters.

Look at the plat before you buy the view. The dirt beside the house is information, not scenery.

The school run

Freedom Estates is in Douglas School District, but it sits farther from the school campus than Raider Pointe or Liberty Plaza. Douglas High is about 3.3 miles by road and the other district buildings are roughly 3.4 to 3.7 miles.

That is a bus or car routine rather than a walk. For some buyers the lower price point is worth it immediately. For others, the daily school run wins.

Orientation

Where Freedom Estates sits

The outlines below are reference geometry from county records, not a survey. The recorded plat and a current survey control the exact lines for any one lot.

Subdivision map

  • Freedom Estates, recorded as FREEDOM ESTATES SUBD #2

Recorded subdivision boundaries from Rapid City and Pennington County GIS. Individual parcel and service details should still be verified by address.

Recorded plat names
  • Freedom Estates: FREEDOM ESTATES SUBD #2

What homes cost here

Forty five recorded sales in the two years to October 2025, at a $306,808 median. The range ran $240,000 to $350,600 and the middle half $295,100 to $323,000.

An MLS search shows a fraction of those 45 sales, because builders here sell direct to the buyer and never list the home.

Pennington County recorded sales. November 2023 to October 2025. improved residential parcels. 45 sales. builder direct transfers included.

How these figures are calculated

Who builds here

  • Top Shelf ConstructionHomebuilder

    The homes here have been listing between $292,000 and $339,900, which lines up with the recorded sale band on this page.

Builder pricing and plan availability change constantly. These are starting points, not quotes.

Price Levels

What your budget buys here

Around $240,000

The lowest of the 45 recorded sales here. Ask me what that house was before you treat it as an entry price.

See Homes for Sale $400K and Under

Around $306,808

The median of 45 recorded sales, which is what a typical finished house here has cost.

Want to know what your budget buys here? Ask Henry.

Drive Times

How far to things

Ellsworth AFB main gate
13 min, 4.8 mi
Downtown Rapid City
19 min, 12.2 mi
Nearest hospital
24 min, 14.0 mi

Monument Health Rapid City Hospital

Rapid City Regional Airport
22 min, 11.5 mi

Typical driving time with clear roads. The Ellsworth gate can back up at shift change.

Why buyers choose Freedom Estates

  • Thirteen minutes to the Ellsworth gate.
  • Lots run 0.16 to 0.21 acres across the middle half, slightly larger than the other two Box Elder plats.
Snapshot

At a glance

Median Sold Price
$306,808

Pennington County recorded sales, 45 closed sales

Typical Lot
0.18 acres at the median, about 7,800 sq ft. The middle half runs 0.16 to 0.21 acres.
New Construction
Active

Last verified August 2026. How these figures are calculated

Before You Buy Here

What to check at this address

Jurisdiction
City of Box Elder
Streets and snow
City of Box Elder plows. Box Elder does not publish a priority route map the way Rapid City does, so ask a neighbor how the street clears after a real storm.
School district
Douglas School District 51-1
Fire district
Box Elder Fire District
  • The furthest of the three Box Elder subdivisions from the Douglas School District buildings.
  • Nineteen minutes to downtown Rapid City.
  • Box Elder does not publish a plow priority map, so ask how the street clears.
  • Clay soils, so look at grading, drainage and any foundation cracks.

Open the ones that apply to the address you are looking at.

New construction terms

On a build, read the builder contract for the allowance schedule, change order pricing, completion timeline and warranty, because the purchase agreement is the builder's, not the standard state form.

Covenants and HOA documents

Read the covenants before you write, especially on outbuildings, RV and trailer parking, fencing, rentals and exterior materials.

Radon

The Black Hills sit on granite and radon levels here run high, so test during the inspection period and price mitigation into your offer if the number comes back elevated.

Read the full guide

Hail and roof age

Hail season here runs from late May through August, so ask for the roof age, the last claim history and any impact-resistant rating before you write.

Property taxes

Look up the actual assessed value and the current levy for the parcel instead of trusting the listing figure, which is often a year or more behind.

Read the full guide

Expansive soils

Parts of this region sit on clay that swells and shrinks with moisture, so look closely at foundation cracks, door alignment and drainage away from the house.

Where the water goes

Walk the lot and look at how the ground falls away from the foundation, where the downspouts end and whether the low corner of the yard holds water. Ask a neighbor what the street does in a hard August rain.

What the base price leaves out

Get the builder's included list in writing and compare it to the model you walked. Landscaping, sod, fencing, a finished basement, appliances and window coverings are the usual gaps, and they add up fast.

Schools

Freedom Estates is in Douglas School District. Douglas High School is 3.3 miles by road and the other three buildings are between 3.4 and 3.7 miles, so plan on the bus or the drive.

Verify current boundaries with the district for any specific address.

I provide objective school information consistently and do not personally rate or recommend schools. Attendance boundaries can cross city and county lines, and the district's current assignment for the exact address controls. Verify directly with the district before making a school-driven decision.

Homes For Sale

Homes for sale in Freedom Estates

Nothing of mine is listed in Freedom Estates today. This search is set for Freedom Estates and shows whatever is active there right now. The recorded sales further down the page are the honest read on a price point here.

EvidenceThe county record, in detailParcel counts, recorded prices and what each figure comes from for Freedom Estates.
Recorded Sales

What has sold here

The county recorded 45 home sales in Freedom Estates over the two years to October 2025, at a median of $306,808.

Recorded Sales
45
Median Sale Price
$306,808
Range
$240,000 to $350,600
Middle Half Of Sales
$295,100 to $323,000
What that means for you

Forty five sales with a median of $306,808 and a middle half of $295,100 to $323,000. That is the narrowest middle half of the three Box Elder plats in these guides, and most of them are builder sales off a small set of plans.

Lot ownership: Land to Lots holds 28, Harbor Point Properties 19, New Freedom Development Partners 17, Magic Mountain 17 and JAG Development 10.

Pennington County recorded sales, November 2023 to October 2025. Ask me for anything more current.

Build Out

How far along it is

94 of the 163 platted parcels in Freedom Estates carry a house. Sixty five are bare lots, one is assessed like improved property, and three are multi-family parcels.

Platted Parcels
163
Parcels With A House
94 (58%)
Bare Lots
65
Assessed As Improved
1
Multi-Family Parcels
3

A bare lot is a lot with no house on it. It is not a listing. Most are owned by somebody who is not selling.

Parcels assessed like improved property but not yet flagged as built. Treat the built count as a floor.

What that means for you

Roughly 40 percent of the subdivision is still to be built, so plan on construction next door for a while. The three multi-family parcels mean part of what goes up around you will not be single family houses.

Pennington County parcel records via Rapid City and Pennington County RapidMap GIS, August 2026.

The only recorded plat is FREEDOM ESTATES SUBD #2, so there is no phase 1 to go looking for. Recorded sale prices sit between $295,100 and $323,000 across the middle half. An MLS search shows a fraction of the 45 sales the county recorded, because builders here sell direct to the buyer and never list the home.

Property Tax Context

What the county assessment shows

The county carries the 94 standing homes at a $259,700 median, with the middle half between $239,000 and $315,100. Recorded sales run above that.

These are county assessed values used for property tax purposes. They are not sale prices and not asking prices.

The sale figures higher on this page are the transaction evidence for Freedom Estates. The numbers here are the tax basis the county uses.

County assessment roll for Freedom Estates. South Dakota aims to equalize assessments at 85 percent of market value. That is a statewide target rather than a promise about any one property, and it does not turn an assessment into a comparable sale. Assessments are set in November for the following year, so recent sales are not in them. Current comparable closings on the specific street are the honest read here.

Questions

Common questions about Freedom Estates

How far is Freedom Estates from the schools?

Douglas High School is 3.3 miles by road and the other three Douglas buildings are 3.4 to 3.7 miles, so plan on the bus or the drive rather than a walk. Raider Pointe and Liberty Plaza sit under a mile from theirs.

What have homes sold for in Freedom Estates?

Pennington County recorded 45 sales at a median of $306,808, with the middle half between $295,100 and $323,000, in the two years to October 2025. Builder direct sales are included, which is why the count runs ahead of the MLS.

How much of Freedom Estates is still to be built?

The plat holds 163 parcels: 94 with a house, 65 bare lots and 3 multi-family. So roughly 40 percent is still to come, and part of what goes up around you will not be single family homes.

Is there a Freedom Estates phase 1?

No. The only recorded plat is FREEDOM ESTATES SUBD #2. There is no phase 1 under that name, which catches people out when they go looking for one.

Why does an MLS search show so few homes here?

Because builders here sell direct to the buyer and never list the home. The MLS shows a fraction of the 45 sales the county recorded. That is why the figures on this page come from county records instead.

Third-Party Sources

What to check before you write an offer

On any address you are serious about, buyer due diligence should include the school assignment from the district, the water quality report from the utility that serves it, and the assessed value and levy from the county. Here are the sources for each one.

The sources, by category

Schools

Confirm the assigned school for a specific address with the district, because boundaries change and they change more often than people expect. Douglas School District 51-1 · School and district profiles on GreatSchools · Preschools and private schools in the Black Hills

Drinking water

Every public water system publishes an annual water quality report. Read the one for the system that serves the address you are considering, not the one for the town next door. Rapid City water quality reports · City of Box Elder Water Division · City of Spearfish water · EPA drinking water lookup

The county record, the plat and the recorded covenants are the three documents to read on any address here. I do not rate schools and I do not characterize neighborhoods as safe or unsafe. Those readings are yours to make from the sources above.

Nearby Options

Also compare

Live Inventory

See what's for sale now

These open my search site, where the listings update from the MLS through the day. This page is the background; that one is the inventory.

Go Deeper

Keep reading on Box Elder

Living in Box Elder

The city at Ellsworth's main gate, growing faster than anywhere in the region on the strength of the B-21 mission.

Antelope Ridge

A Hunt Military Communities rental community. You rent here, you do not buy.

Liberty Plaza

New houses, the Liberty Center across the street, and Box Elder's new downtown growing around you, nine minutes from Ellsworth.

Raider Pointe

Seven minutes to Ellsworth, four Douglas schools within a mile, and almost nothing left to build around you.

Download The Black Hills Buyer's Guide

My free buyer's guide, written for wells, septic, hail history and PCS timelines in this region.

Run a payment on the mortgage calculator

Price, down payment, rate, taxes, insurance and HOA in one number.

New to the Black Hills? Start with the questions people ask.

Freedom Estates also turns up in Closest to Ellsworth Air Force Base and New construction.

What is approved around a lot, what the builder is including and how the recent closings compare are the three things to settle before you sign.

Address Questions

Considering a home here?

Send the address and we can talk it through. The details that change from one property to the next are jurisdiction, water and sewer, the school the district assigns, covenants, road maintenance and the rest of what never shows up on a listing.

Or send a message from the contact page
Questions about this neighborhood?

Talk to Henry

Call or text 605-490-2040 and we can talk through what is realistic in Freedom Estates right now, including what has closed nearby.

Last updated August 2026

This guide is general information, not legal, tax, lending or financial advice. Facts and figures are cited from public sources as of August 2026 and change over time. Henry Roy is a licensed real estate professional with Ascend Realty in South Dakota. Equal Housing Opportunity.

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