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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Between Black Hawk, Colonial Pine Hills
The rows below are the ones where these do not read the same. Ordered as the table runs, not by importance.
- County
- Black HawkMeade CountyColonial Pine HillsPennington County
- Jurisdiction
- Black HawkUnincorporated Meade CountyColonial Pine HillsUnincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County zones the lots, issues the permits and patrols the roads.
- Corridor
- Black HawkI-90Colonial Pine HillsUS 16 and Sheridan Lake Road
- To downtown Rapid City
- Black HawkAbout 12 to 15 minutesColonial Pine HillsRoughly 6 miles northeast
- To Ellsworth AFB
- Black HawkAbout 30 minutes, the same I-90 run as Summerset just northColonial Pine HillsAbout 25 to 30 minutes, through or around Rapid City
- Winter driving
- Black HawkThe road out front may be maintained publicly or by the neighborhood, so ask who plows before you buy.Colonial Pine HillsYou are 900 feet above Rapid City on grades, and some subdivision roads are privately plowed. Snow tires are not a luxury item up here.
Black Hawk, Colonial Pine Hills
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.
| Attribute | Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorColonial Pine Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | ||
| Region | Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor | Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor |
| Countydiffers | Meade County | Pennington County |
| JurisdictiondiffersCity versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work. | Unincorporated Meade County | Unincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County zones the lots, issues the permits and patrols the roads. |
| Corridordiffers | I-90 | US 16 and Sheridan Lake Road |
| To downtown Rapid Citydiffers | About 12 to 15 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak. | Roughly 6 miles northeastDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel. |
| To Ellsworth AFBdiffers | About 30 minutes, the same I-90 run as Summerset just northDriving time and distance, off peak. | About 25 to 30 minutes, through or around Rapid CityDriving 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. | You are 900 feet above Rapid City on grades, and some subdivision roads are privately plowed. Snow tires are not a luxury item up here. |
| 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. | About $683,000 average sold in the Sheridan Lake Road MLS area, 71 sales over 12 monthsAverage sold $682,615. Black Hills MLS, single family, 12 months through August 2026, as of August 2026. 71 closed sales. |
| Housing agediffers | Mixed street to street, sometimes neighbor to neighbor | Platted over several decades, so 1970s cabins and current builds sit on the same road. |
| New construction | 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. | Acreage parcels are common here |
| Typical lotdiffers | Bigger lots, with shop space and outbuildings normal | Large by Rapid City standards, from generous lots to several acres. |
| Covenants and HOACovenants 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. | Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others |
| Utilities and rules | ||
| Utility patterndiffers | Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it | Mostly private well and septic |
| Waterdiffers | Black Hawk Water User District | Depends entirely on the parcel. The Colonial Pine Hills Sanitary District serves roughly 430 connections. Several separate water associations serve other pockets, and the rest of the area is on private wells. |
| Sewerdiffers | Black Hawk Sanitary District serves roughly 200 homes and businesses; properties outside the district are on private septic | Private on-site septic throughout, permitted by Pennington County. There is no municipal sewer and no lagoon serving the area. |
| Short term rentalsdiffers | No municipal short term rental ordinance, because there is no municipality. State licensing still applies, and the subdivision covenant usually decides. | This is unincorporated county, so there is no municipal short-term rental ordinance. County zoning and subdivision covenants are what govern, and the covenants out here are often stricter than the county. |
| Schools | ||
| School districtdiffers | Rapid City Area Schools 51-4 for most addressesAssignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. | Rapid City Area School District 51-4Assignment 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. | Everything is in Rapid City, roughly fifteen minutes down US 16. |
| Healthcarediffers | Monument Health Rapid City Hospital | No clinic up here. Monument Health Rapid City Hospital and the Rapid City clinics are the answer. |
| Recreationdiffers | Piedmont and the Stagebarn area are just north, with the central hills close enough for a half day. | Sheridan Lake, Pactola, the Mickelson Trail and the whole central Hills network start where the subdivisions end. |
| 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. |
| The trade | ||
| Housing and patterndiffers | Unincorporated foothills pockets where lot size, home age and outbuildings change from one parcel to the next. | Ponderosa pine subdivisions platted over decades, no two alike, on county rules six miles from the city. |
| 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. | Hills elevation, trees and lot size with a Rapid City commute and Rapid City schools. |
| 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. | Well or association water, septic on every parcel, private roads in places, and wildfire exposure that affects insurance. |
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorColonial Pine Hills
Where it sits
Region
- Black Hawk
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
Countydiffers
- Black Hawk
- Meade County
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Pennington County
Jurisdictiondiffers
City versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work.- Black Hawk
- Unincorporated Meade County
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Unincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County zones the lots, issues the permits and patrols the roads.
Corridordiffers
- Black Hawk
- I-90
- Colonial Pine Hills
- US 16 and Sheridan Lake Road
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers
- Black Hawk
- About 12 to 15 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Roughly 6 miles northeastDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
To Ellsworth AFBdiffers
- Black Hawk
- About 30 minutes, the same I-90 run as Summerset just northDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- About 25 to 30 minutes, through or around Rapid CityDriving 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.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- You are 900 feet above Rapid City on grades, and some subdivision roads are privately plowed. Snow tires are not a luxury item up here.
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.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- About $683,000 average sold in the Sheridan Lake Road MLS area, 71 sales over 12 monthsAverage sold $682,615. Black Hills MLS, single family, 12 months through August 2026, as of August 2026. 71 closed sales.
Housing agediffers
- Black Hawk
- Mixed street to street, sometimes neighbor to neighbor
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Platted over several decades, so 1970s cabins and current builds sit on the same road.
New construction
- Black Hawk
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
- Colonial Pine Hills
- 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.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Acreage parcels are common here
Typical lotdiffers
- Black Hawk
- Bigger lots, with shop space and outbuildings normal
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Large by Rapid City standards, from generous lots to several acres.
Covenants and HOA
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.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- 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
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Mostly private well and septic
Waterdiffers
- Black Hawk
- Black Hawk Water User District
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Depends entirely on the parcel. The Colonial Pine Hills Sanitary District serves roughly 430 connections. Several separate water associations serve other pockets, and the rest of the area is on private wells.
Sewerdiffers
- Black Hawk
- Black Hawk Sanitary District serves roughly 200 homes and businesses; properties outside the district are on private septic
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Private on-site septic throughout, permitted by Pennington County. There is no municipal sewer and no lagoon serving the area.
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.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- This is unincorporated county, so there is no municipal short-term rental ordinance. County zoning and subdivision covenants are what govern, and the covenants out here are often stricter than the county.
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.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Rapid City Area School District 51-4Assignment 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.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Everything is in Rapid City, roughly fifteen minutes down US 16.
Healthcarediffers
- Black Hawk
- Monument Health Rapid City Hospital
- Colonial Pine Hills
- No clinic up here. Monument Health Rapid City Hospital and the Rapid City clinics are the answer.
Recreationdiffers
- Black Hawk
- Piedmont and the Stagebarn area are just north, with the central hills close enough for a half day.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Sheridan Lake, Pactola, the Mickelson Trail and the whole central Hills network start where the subdivisions end.
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.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.
The trade
Housing and patterndiffers
- Black Hawk
- Unincorporated foothills pockets where lot size, home age and outbuildings change from one parcel to the next.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Ponderosa pine subdivisions platted over decades, no two alike, on county rules six miles from the city.
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.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Hills elevation, trees and lot size with a Rapid City commute and Rapid City schools.
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.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Well or association water, septic on every parcel, private roads in places, and wildfire exposure that affects insurance.
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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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.