Relocation

Compare Black Hills Communities

25 towns and unincorporated communities. Pick two to four and the full table appears underneath. Commutes are driving times to the Ellsworth main gate and downtown Rapid City. Median sold prices, where we have them, come from the MLS over the trailing twelve months with the source, window and sale count printed under each figure. Typical price bands are practical search ranges, not medians, and are labelled separately.

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Under $400k Close to Ellsworth Close to Rapid City Short commute New construction available Acreage available City water and sewer Smaller market More rural Established housing Newer housing Clear filters Clear everything

Price filters only consider communities with a published trailing twelve month median, so towns without one do not appear in a price filter.

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The five facts that decide a shortlist

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Selected, 3 of 4

Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor

Everything within about twenty five minutes of downtown Rapid City or the Ellsworth main gate, where most of the newer inventory, the shortest commutes and the jurisdiction questions about city versus county service are.

Rapid City
Typical price
$300k to $450kMedian sold $349,950. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 706 closed sales.
To Ellsworth AFB
24 min, 13.8 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
To downtown Rapid City
5 min, 1.5 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
Utility pattern
City water and sewer inside the limits
School district
Rapid City Area Schools 51-4Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Compare Guide

What changes

Between Black Hawk, Belle Fourche, Summerset

The rows below are the ones where these do not read the same. Ordered as the table runs, not by importance.

Region: Black HawkRapid City and the Ellsworth corridorBelle FourcheNorthern Hills and I-90SummersetRapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
County: Black HawkMeade CountyBelle FourcheButte CountySummersetMeade County
Jurisdiction: Black HawkUnincorporated Meade CountyBelle FourcheNot recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.SummersetCity of Summerset, incorporated July 2005
Corridor: Black HawkI-90Belle FourcheUS-85 and SD-34SummersetI-90
To downtown Rapid City: Black HawkAbout 12 to 15 minutesBelle FourcheAbout 55 to 60 minutesSummerset15 min, 10.0 mi
To Ellsworth AFB: Black HawkAbout 30 minutes, the same I-90 run as Summerset just northBelle FourcheAbout an hourSummerset30 min, 19.2 mi

Side by side

Black Hawk, Belle Fourche, Summerset

Rows marked as differing are the ones where these do not read alike. Rows without the mark sit on a quiet background because they say the same thing in every column.

The selected Black Hills communities compared on location, housing, utilities, schools, daily errands, mapped subdivisions and the trade each one asks for
Attribute	Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorBlack Hawk	Northern Hills and I-90Belle Fourche	Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorSummerset
Where it sits
Regiondiffers	Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor	Northern Hills and I-90	Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
Countydiffers	Meade County	Butte County	Meade County
JurisdictiondiffersCity versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work.	Unincorporated Meade County	Not recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.	City of Summerset, incorporated July 2005
Corridordiffers	I-90	US-85 and SD-34	I-90
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers	About 12 to 15 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.	About 55 to 60 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.	15 min, 10.0 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
To Ellsworth AFBdiffers	About 30 minutes, the same I-90 run as Summerset just northDriving time and distance, off peak.	About an hourDriving time and distance, off peak.	30 min, 19.2 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
Winter drivingdiffers	The road out front may be maintained publicly or by the neighborhood, so ask who plows before you buy.	Out on the acreage the question is who maintains the road in winter, and it is worth asking in writing.	The commute is I-90, so winter driving here is interstate driving rather than a two lane canyon road.
Housing and lots
Typical pricediffers	Unincorporated, so closings report under Rapid City and Meade County rather than a Black Hawk median. Lot size and outbuildings move the price more than the street does.	$275k to $375kMedian sold $300,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 113 closed sales.	Builder inventory sets the level here, and the MLS publishes no Summerset median on its own.
Housing agediffers	Mixed street to street, sometimes neighbor to neighbor	Older homes in town, newer construction on the edges	Mostly 2000s to present
New construction	Limited, mostly infill and small projects	Limited, mostly infill and small projects	Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Acreagediffers	Larger lots and acre properties are part of the Black Hawk market, including properties with room for shops and outbuildings.	Larger lots and acreage become more common around the edges of Belle Fourche and in nearby rural subdivisions.	Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot size.
Typical lotdiffers	Bigger lots, with shop space and outbuildings normal	Generous in town, acreage out past it	Wide lots on new streets
Covenants and HOAdiffersCovenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel.	Recorded covenants on some plats, none on othersRecorded covenants vary by subdivision and should be checked for the specific property.	Not recorded townwide in this guide. Read the recorded documents for the plat.	Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others
Utilities and rules
Utility patterndiffers	Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it	Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it	Sewer collection is provided by the City of Summerset. Water service varies by address and can include Black Hawk Water User District or Diamond D Water in Sun Valley.
Waterdiffers	Black Hawk Water User District	Municipal water inside the limits, a private well or a district system outside them.Read off the townwide utility pattern in the guide. The service address controls, so confirm the provider before you write an offer.	Black Hawk Water User District, or Diamond D Water in Sun Valley
Sewerdiffers	Black Hawk Sanitary District serves roughly 200 homes and businesses; properties outside the district are on private septic	City sewer inside the limits, private septic outside them.Read off the townwide utility pattern in the guide. The service address controls, so confirm the provider before you write an offer.	City of Summerset
Short term rentalsdiffers	No municipal short term rental ordinance, because there is no municipality. State licensing still applies, and the subdivision covenant usually decides.	General zoning and state rules do the work in Belle Fourche. Confirm the lodging use category with city hall for the address before you count on rental income.	The thinnest rules on this list, which means a rental plan has to be pinned down for the specific address.
Schools
School districtdiffers	Rapid City Area Schools 51-4 for most addressesAssignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.	Belle Fourche School District 9-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.	Meade 46-1 and Rapid City Area Schools 51-4, split within the cityAssignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Daily errands
Groceriesdiffers	No full-service grocery store is in Black Hawk. Most larger grocery trips go into Rapid City.	Full-service grocery options in town include Lueders Food Centers and Lynn's Dakotamart.	Not recorded in this guide. Check what is open near the address.
Healthcarediffers	Monument Health Rapid City Hospital	Monument Health has a clinic in Belle Fourche. Hospital-level care is available in Spearfish.	Hospital-level care is in Rapid City, about 15 minutes south.
Recreationdiffers	Piedmont and the Stagebarn area are just north, with the central hills close enough for a half day.	The Geographic Center of the Nation monument, the Tri-State Museum, and the Black Hills Roundup rodeo every Fourth of July week since 1918.	Leisure Lane, Steamboat and Castlewood parks are the everyday recreation. Leisure Lane is the big one, with playgrounds, basketball, picnic shelters, open grass and the community garden.
Mapped subdivisions
Outlines on filediffers	12 mapped outlines, 5 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls.	No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.	2 mapped outlines, 2 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls.
The trade
Housing and patterndiffers	Unincorporated foothills pockets where lot size, home age and outbuildings change from one parcel to the next.	A ranching hub with a working main street, mature trees and a rodeo the whole town turns out for.	New streets and builder inventory, with Highlands at Norman Ranch adding over 100 first phase homesites across more than 300 acres.
What you gaindiffers	Bigger lots, room for a shop, and about 12 to 15 minutes to downtown Rapid City, without a city hall setting the local rules.	A $300,000 median across 113 trailing twelve month sales, under Spearfish, Sturgis and Deadwood, with acreage out past town.	Newer houses on city sewer with Hills views at a price central Rapid City does not offer, and Highlands at Norman Ranch is still selling first phase homesites.
What you give updiffers	There is no city hall, so the subdivision covenant decides what you can build or rent, and water, sewer and road maintenance all change parcel to parcel.	Rapid City is 55 to 60 minutes and Ellsworth about an hour, so this is a commute you pick on purpose.	You are fifteen minutes out from most of Rapid City's services and you drive I-90 to get to them in the winter. The city is also split between Meade 46-1 and Rapid City Area Schools 51-4, so the district follows the address.

Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorBlack Hawk
Northern Hills and I-90Belle Fourche
Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorSummerset

Where it sits

Regiondiffers

Black Hawk: Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
Belle Fourche: Northern Hills and I-90
Summerset: Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor

Countydiffers

Black Hawk: Meade County
Belle Fourche: Butte County
Summerset: Meade County

Jurisdictiondiffers

City versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work.

Black Hawk: Unincorporated Meade County
Belle Fourche: Not recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.
Summerset: City of Summerset, incorporated July 2005

Corridordiffers

Black Hawk: I-90
Belle Fourche: US-85 and SD-34
Summerset: I-90

To downtown Rapid Citydiffers

Black Hawk: About 12 to 15 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
Belle Fourche: About 55 to 60 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
Summerset: 15 min, 10.0 miDriving time and distance, off peak.

To Ellsworth AFBdiffers

Black Hawk: About 30 minutes, the same I-90 run as Summerset just northDriving time and distance, off peak.
Belle Fourche: About an hourDriving time and distance, off peak.
Summerset: 30 min, 19.2 miDriving time and distance, off peak.

Winter drivingdiffers

Black Hawk: The road out front may be maintained publicly or by the neighborhood, so ask who plows before you buy.
Belle Fourche: Out on the acreage the question is who maintains the road in winter, and it is worth asking in writing.
Summerset: The commute is I-90, so winter driving here is interstate driving rather than a two lane canyon road.

Housing and lots

Typical pricediffers

Black Hawk: Unincorporated, so closings report under Rapid City and Meade County rather than a Black Hawk median. Lot size and outbuildings move the price more than the street does.
Belle Fourche: $275k to $375kMedian sold $300,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 113 closed sales.
Summerset: Builder inventory sets the level here, and the MLS publishes no Summerset median on its own.

Housing agediffers

Black Hawk: Mixed street to street, sometimes neighbor to neighbor
Belle Fourche: Older homes in town, newer construction on the edges
Summerset: Mostly 2000s to present

New construction

Black Hawk: Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Belle Fourche: Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Summerset: Limited, mostly infill and small projects

Acreagediffers

Black Hawk: Larger lots and acre properties are part of the Black Hawk market, including properties with room for shops and outbuildings.
Belle Fourche: Larger lots and acreage become more common around the edges of Belle Fourche and in nearby rural subdivisions.
Summerset: Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot size.

Typical lotdiffers

Black Hawk: Bigger lots, with shop space and outbuildings normal
Belle Fourche: Generous in town, acreage out past it
Summerset: Wide lots on new streets

Covenants and HOAdiffers

Covenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel.

Black Hawk: Recorded covenants on some plats, none on othersRecorded covenants vary by subdivision and should be checked for the specific property.
Belle Fourche: Not recorded townwide in this guide. Read the recorded documents for the plat.
Summerset: Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others

Utilities and rules

Utility patterndiffers

Black Hawk: Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
Belle Fourche: Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
Summerset: Sewer collection is provided by the City of Summerset. Water service varies by address and can include Black Hawk Water User District or Diamond D Water in Sun Valley.

Waterdiffers

Black Hawk: Black Hawk Water User District
Belle Fourche: Municipal water inside the limits, a private well or a district system outside them.Read off the townwide utility pattern in the guide. The service address controls, so confirm the provider before you write an offer.
Summerset: Black Hawk Water User District, or Diamond D Water in Sun Valley

Sewerdiffers

Black Hawk: Black Hawk Sanitary District serves roughly 200 homes and businesses; properties outside the district are on private septic
Belle Fourche: City sewer inside the limits, private septic outside them.Read off the townwide utility pattern in the guide. The service address controls, so confirm the provider before you write an offer.
Summerset: City of Summerset

Short term rentalsdiffers

Black Hawk: No municipal short term rental ordinance, because there is no municipality. State licensing still applies, and the subdivision covenant usually decides.
Belle Fourche: General zoning and state rules do the work in Belle Fourche. Confirm the lodging use category with city hall for the address before you count on rental income.
Summerset: The thinnest rules on this list, which means a rental plan has to be pinned down for the specific address.

Schools

School districtdiffers

Black Hawk: Rapid City Area Schools 51-4 for most addressesAssignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Belle Fourche: Belle Fourche School District 9-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Summerset: Meade 46-1 and Rapid City Area Schools 51-4, split within the cityAssignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.

Daily errands

Groceriesdiffers

Black Hawk: No full-service grocery store is in Black Hawk. Most larger grocery trips go into Rapid City.
Belle Fourche: Full-service grocery options in town include Lueders Food Centers and Lynn's Dakotamart.
Summerset: Not recorded in this guide. Check what is open near the address.

Healthcarediffers

Black Hawk: Monument Health Rapid City Hospital
Belle Fourche: Monument Health has a clinic in Belle Fourche. Hospital-level care is available in Spearfish.
Summerset: Hospital-level care is in Rapid City, about 15 minutes south.

Recreationdiffers

Black Hawk: Piedmont and the Stagebarn area are just north, with the central hills close enough for a half day.
Belle Fourche: The Geographic Center of the Nation monument, the Tri-State Museum, and the Black Hills Roundup rodeo every Fourth of July week since 1918.
Summerset: Leisure Lane, Steamboat and Castlewood parks are the everyday recreation. Leisure Lane is the big one, with playgrounds, basketball, picnic shelters, open grass and the community garden.

Mapped subdivisions

Outlines on filediffers

Black Hawk: 12 mapped outlines, 5 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls.
Belle Fourche: No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.
Summerset: 2 mapped outlines, 2 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls.

The trade

Housing and patterndiffers

Black Hawk: Unincorporated foothills pockets where lot size, home age and outbuildings change from one parcel to the next.
Belle Fourche: A ranching hub with a working main street, mature trees and a rodeo the whole town turns out for.
Summerset: New streets and builder inventory, with Highlands at Norman Ranch adding over 100 first phase homesites across more than 300 acres.

What you gaindiffers

Black Hawk: Bigger lots, room for a shop, and about 12 to 15 minutes to downtown Rapid City, without a city hall setting the local rules.
Belle Fourche: A $300,000 median across 113 trailing twelve month sales, under Spearfish, Sturgis and Deadwood, with acreage out past town.
Summerset: Newer houses on city sewer with Hills views at a price central Rapid City does not offer, and Highlands at Norman Ranch is still selling first phase homesites.

What you give updiffers

Black Hawk: There is no city hall, so the subdivision covenant decides what you can build or rent, and water, sewer and road maintenance all change parcel to parcel.
Belle Fourche: Rapid City is 55 to 60 minutes and Ellsworth about an hour, so this is a commute you pick on purpose.
Summerset: You are fifteen minutes out from most of Rapid City's services and you drive I-90 to get to them in the winter. The city is also split between Meade 46-1 and Rapid City Area Schools 51-4, so the district follows the address.

Where this comes from

Commute figures are driving times off peak, from the community guide each card links to. Median sold prices come from the MLS, and each figure carries its own source, window and closing count, because Sturgis, Spearfish and the northern hills report through a different MLS than Rapid City. Under five closings there is no median, and the price row says so. Five to nine closings carries a small sample note. School districts follow the official boundary for the address, and the district office is the only place to confirm an assignment. Short term rental lines are summaries. Read the guide and the current ordinance before you count on rental income.

The filters use these definitions: under $400k is the MLS sold figure for the town, a median where one is published and otherwise the average sold, comes in under $400,000; close to ellsworth is 25 minutes or less to the Ellsworth main gate; close to rapid city is 20 minutes or less to downtown Rapid City; short commute is 15 minutes or less to either downtown Rapid City or the Ellsworth gate; new construction available is the guide establishes active or limited new construction; acreage available is acreage is common or present in the guide; city water and sewer is city water and sewer across the community; smaller market is fewer than 100 closed single family sales in the trailing twelve months; more rural is acreage is common, or water and sewer are not municipal throughout; established housing is the guide classifies the housing stock as established, meaning largely pre 2000; newer housing is the guide classifies a meaningful share of the housing stock as 2000s or later.

Every row here is a townwide summary and a single parcel can read differently. Buyer due diligence should include verifying water and sewer service, school assignment, recorded covenants and HOA obligations, rental rules, legal access, insurance availability and which jurisdiction inspects and permits the work, for the exact address. Confirm with the city or county, the utility or district, the school district office, the title company and your insurer as applicable.

Last updated August 2026

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ComparingBlack Hawk, Belle Fourche, Summerset

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