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.
5 of 25 communities
Price filters only consider communities with a published trailing twelve month median, so towns without one do not appear in a price filter.
The five facts that decide a shortlist
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.
- Typical price
- 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.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 30 minutes, the same I-90 run as Summerset just northDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 12 to 15 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- School district
- Rapid City Area Schools 51-4 for most addressesAssignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Typical price
- $340k to $400kMedian sold $367,000. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 235 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- 9 min, 2.3 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- 19 min, 10.9 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- City water and sewer inside the limits
- School district
- Douglas School District 51-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- 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.
- Typical price
- About $350,000 average sold, 274 sales over 12 monthsAverage sold $349,971. Black Hills MLS, single family, 12 months through August 2026, as of August 2026. 274 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- 22 min, 10.4 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- 11 min, 5.2 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Utility service varies by address. Rapid Valley Sanitary District serves portions of the area, while properties outside district service may use private wells and septic systems.
- School district
- Mostly Rapid City Area School District 51-4, with portions in Douglas 51-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Typical price
- Builder inventory sets the level here, and the MLS publishes no Summerset median on its own.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- 30 min, 19.2 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- 15 min, 10.0 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- 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.
- School 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.
Between Blucksberg Mountain, 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
- Blucksberg MountainMeade CountyColonial Pine HillsPennington County
- Jurisdiction
- Blucksberg MountainUnincorporated Meade CountyColonial Pine HillsUnincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County zones the lots, issues the permits and patrols the roads.
- Corridor
- Blucksberg MountainI-90Colonial Pine HillsUS 16 and Sheridan Lake Road
- To downtown Rapid City
- Blucksberg MountainNot measured for this page.Colonial Pine HillsRoughly 6 miles northeast
- To Ellsworth AFB
- Blucksberg MountainNot measured for this page.Colonial Pine HillsAbout 25 to 30 minutes, through or around Rapid City
- Winter driving
- Blucksberg MountainThis is hill ground off the interstate. Ask who plows the interior road serving the parcel, because some are not county maintained.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.
Blucksberg Mountain, 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 corridorBlucksberg Mountain | 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 | Not measured for this page.Drive time is not measured for this community. Time it from the parcel itself. | Roughly 6 miles northeastDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel. |
| To Ellsworth AFBdiffers | Not measured for this page.Drive time is not measured for this community. Time it from the parcel itself. | About 25 to 30 minutes, through or around Rapid CityDriving time and distance, off peak. |
| Winter drivingdiffers | This is hill ground off the interstate. Ask who plows the interior road serving the parcel, because some are not county maintained. | 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 | No verified closed sale set is available for Blucksberg Mountain, so no price level is printed here. The five recorded plats differ enough that one figure would not describe any of them. | 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 ages. Older homes near the core, newer construction toward the edges. | Platted over several decades, so 1970s cabins and current builds sit on the same road. |
| New constructiondiffers | Not recorded townwide in this guide. Check current permits with the city or county. | Limited, mostly infill and small projects |
| Acreage | Acreage parcels are common here | Acreage parcels are common here |
| Typical lotdiffers | Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot dimensions. | 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 others | 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 | Varies by plat. Blucksberg Mountain #1 is a regulated community water system. Confirm provider and rate by parcel. | 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 | Septic common in current listings. Confirm the system by address. | Private on-site septic throughout, permitted by Pennington County. There is no municipal sewer and no lagoon serving the area. |
| Short term rentalsdiffers | Short term rental rules here come from Meade County and from the covenants on the recorded plat, not from a city ordinance. | 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 | Meade School District 46-1Assignment 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 | Not recorded in this guide. Check what is open near the address. | Everything is in Rapid City, roughly fifteen minutes down US 16. |
| Healthcarediffers | Not recorded in this guide. Confirm the nearest clinic and hospital by address. | No clinic up here. Monument Health Rapid City Hospital and the Rapid City clinics are the answer. |
| Recreationdiffers | Not recorded in this guide. Read the guide for what residents use here. | Sheridan Lake, Pactola, the Mickelson Trail and the whole central Hills network start where the subdivisions end. |
| The trade | ||
| Housing and patterndiffers | Five separate recorded plats of residential acreage on the hill between Rapid City and Sturgis, unincorporated. | Ponderosa pine subdivisions platted over decades, no two alike, on county rules six miles from the city. |
| What you gaindiffers | Read the guide | Hills elevation, trees and lot size with a Rapid City commute and Rapid City schools. |
| What you give updiffers | Utilities, roads and covenants change from one recorded plat to the next, so nothing you learn about one street transfers to the next one over. | Well or association water, septic on every parcel, private roads in places, and wildfire exposure that affects insurance. |
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorBlucksberg Mountain
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorColonial Pine Hills
Where it sits
Region
- Blucksberg Mountain
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
Countydiffers
- Blucksberg Mountain
- Meade County
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Pennington County
Jurisdictiondiffers
City versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work.- Blucksberg Mountain
- 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
- Blucksberg Mountain
- I-90
- Colonial Pine Hills
- US 16 and Sheridan Lake Road
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers
- Blucksberg Mountain
- Not measured for this page.Drive time is not measured for this community. Time it from the parcel itself.
- 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
- Blucksberg Mountain
- Not measured for this page.Drive time is not measured for this community. Time it from the parcel itself.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- About 25 to 30 minutes, through or around Rapid CityDriving time and distance, off peak.
Winter drivingdiffers
- Blucksberg Mountain
- This is hill ground off the interstate. Ask who plows the interior road serving the parcel, because some are not county maintained.
- 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
- Blucksberg Mountain
- No verified closed sale set is available for Blucksberg Mountain, so no price level is printed here. The five recorded plats differ enough that one figure would not describe any of them.
- 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
- Blucksberg Mountain
- Mixed ages. Older homes near the core, newer construction toward the edges.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Platted over several decades, so 1970s cabins and current builds sit on the same road.
New constructiondiffers
- Blucksberg Mountain
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Check current permits with the city or county.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Acreage
- Blucksberg Mountain
- Acreage parcels are common here
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Acreage parcels are common here
Typical lotdiffers
- Blucksberg Mountain
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot dimensions.
- 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.- Blucksberg Mountain
- Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others
Utilities and rules
Utility patterndiffers
- Blucksberg Mountain
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Mostly private well and septic
Waterdiffers
- Blucksberg Mountain
- Varies by plat. Blucksberg Mountain #1 is a regulated community water system. Confirm provider and rate by parcel.
- 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
- Blucksberg Mountain
- Septic common in current listings. Confirm the system by address.
- 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
- Blucksberg Mountain
- Short term rental rules here come from Meade County and from the covenants on the recorded plat, not from a city ordinance.
- 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
- Blucksberg Mountain
- Meade School District 46-1Assignment 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
- Blucksberg Mountain
- Not recorded in this guide. Check what is open near the address.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Everything is in Rapid City, roughly fifteen minutes down US 16.
Healthcarediffers
- Blucksberg Mountain
- Not recorded in this guide. Confirm the nearest clinic and hospital by address.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- No clinic up here. Monument Health Rapid City Hospital and the Rapid City clinics are the answer.
Recreationdiffers
- Blucksberg Mountain
- Not recorded in this guide. Read the guide for what residents use here.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Sheridan Lake, Pactola, the Mickelson Trail and the whole central Hills network start where the subdivisions end.
The trade
Housing and patterndiffers
- Blucksberg Mountain
- Five separate recorded plats of residential acreage on the hill between Rapid City and Sturgis, unincorporated.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Ponderosa pine subdivisions platted over decades, no two alike, on county rules six miles from the city.
What you gaindiffers
- Blucksberg Mountain
- Read the guide
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Hills elevation, trees and lot size with a Rapid City commute and Rapid City schools.
What you give updiffers
- Blucksberg Mountain
- Utilities, roads and covenants change from one recorded plat to the next, so nothing you learn about one street transfers to the next one over.
- 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
Want to talk through the tradeoffs?
Two towns can look identical in a table and feel nothing alike on a Tuesday night in February. Call or text and tell me which rows above are the ones you cannot live with, and we can work the list down from there.
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.