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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7 of 25 communities
Under $400kClose to EllsworthClose to Rapid CityShort commuteNew construction availableAcreage availableCity water and sewerSmaller marketMore ruralEstablished housingNewer housingClear filtersClear 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
Selected, 3 of 4
Northern Hills and I-90
The Sturgis to Belle Fourche side of the Hills, with its own hospitals, schools and employers, so a job in Spearfish or Sturgis does not have to mean a Rapid City commute.
- Typical price
- $300k to $450kMedian sold $365,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 97 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- 48 min, 38.2 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- 33 min, 28.9 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify water and sewer service for the address.
- School district
- Meade School District 46-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Central and Southern Hills
In the timber and on the far southern edge, where lots get larger, well and septic get common, and the drive to a full service hospital becomes part of the decision.
- Typical price
- About $155,000 average sold, 13 sales over 24 monthsAverage sold $155,285. Black Hills MLS, single family, 24 months through August 2026, as of August 2026. 13 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 110 milesDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 100 miles northeastDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- Utility pattern
- City water and sewer inside the limits
- School district
- Edgemont School District 23-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Typical price
- About $650,000 average sold, 28 sales over 24 monthsAverage sold $648,229. Black Hills MLS, single family, 24 months through August 2026, as of August 2026. 28 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 35 minutes, north through Rapid City to I-90Driving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- 26 min, 18.6 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- School district
- Custer School District 16-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Typical price
- Median sold $315,150Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 24 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About an hour and fifteen minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 60 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify water and sewer service for the address.
- School district
- Hot Springs School District 23-2Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Typical price
- About $618,000 average sold, but only 9 sales over 24 monthsAverage sold $618,449. Black Hills MLS, single family, 24 months through August 2026, as of August 2026. 9 closed sales, small sample.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 40 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 25 minutes northeastDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- School district
- Hill City School District 51-2Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Prairie and Badlands
East of the Hills on the open prairie, where lots run larger, water is often a private well, services are thinner and the wind and the drive are the tradeoffs.
- Typical price
- About $320,000 average sold, 20 sales over 24 monthsAverage sold $319,585. Black Hills MLS, single family, 24 months through August 2026, as of August 2026. 20 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 11 miles, exit 78 to the main gate at exit 67ADistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 18 miles west on I-90Distance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- Utility pattern
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- School district
- New Underwood School District 51-3Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Typical price
- About $270,000 average sold, 19 sales over 24 monthsAverage sold $270,435. Black Hills MLS, single family, 24 months through August 2026, as of August 2026. 19 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 43 miles westDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 50 miles west on I-90Distance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- Utility pattern
- City water and sewer inside the limits
- School district
- Wall School District 51-5Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
What changes
Between Box Elder, Black Hawk, Sturgis
The rows below are the ones where these do not read the same. Ordered as the table runs, not by importance.
- Region
- Box ElderRapid City and the Ellsworth corridorBlack HawkRapid City and the Ellsworth corridorSturgisNorthern Hills and I-90
- County
- Box ElderPennington CountyBlack HawkMeade CountySturgisMeade County
- Jurisdiction
- Box ElderCity of Box ElderBlack HawkUnincorporated Meade CountySturgisNot recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.
- To downtown Rapid City
- Box Elder19 min, 10.9 miBlack HawkAbout 12 to 15 minutesSturgis33 min, 28.9 mi
- To Ellsworth AFB
- Box Elder9 min, 2.3 miBlack HawkAbout 30 minutes, the same I-90 run as Summerset just northSturgis48 min, 38.2 mi
- Winter driving
- Box ElderI-90 is state maintained and the city clears the newer plats. Box Elder publishes no plow priority map, so ask a neighbor how the street clears after a real storm.Black HawkThe road out front may be maintained publicly or by the neighborhood, so ask who plows before you buy.SturgisI-90 is state maintained and the city clears its own streets. The county roads out past the edges clear later.
Side by side
Box Elder, Black Hawk, Sturgis
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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | |||
| Regiondiffers | Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor | Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor | Northern Hills and I-90 |
| Countydiffers | Pennington County | Meade County | Meade County |
| JurisdictiondiffersCity versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work. | City of Box Elder | Unincorporated Meade County | Not recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground. |
| Corridor | I-90 | I-90 | I-90 |
| To downtown Rapid Citydiffers | 19 min, 10.9 miDriving time and distance, off peak. | About 12 to 15 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak. | 33 min, 28.9 miDriving time and distance, off peak. |
| To Ellsworth AFBdiffers | 9 min, 2.3 miDriving time and distance, off peak. | About 30 minutes, the same I-90 run as Summerset just northDriving time and distance, off peak. | 48 min, 38.2 miDriving time and distance, off peak. |
| Winter drivingdiffers | I-90 is state maintained and the city clears the newer plats. Box Elder publishes no plow priority map, so ask a neighbor how the street clears after a real storm. | The road out front may be maintained publicly or by the neighborhood, so ask who plows before you buy. | I-90 is state maintained and the city clears its own streets. The county roads out past the edges clear later. |
| Housing and lots | |||
| Typical pricediffers | $340k to $400kMedian sold $367,000. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 235 closed sales. | 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. | $300k to $450kMedian sold $365,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 97 closed sales. |
| Housing agediffers | Heavily new construction since the B-21 announcement | Mixed street to street, sometimes neighbor to neighbor | Older near the core, newer on the edges |
| New constructiondiffers | Active, with subdivisions still building | Limited, mostly infill and small projects | Limited, mostly infill and small projects |
| Acreagediffers | Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot size. | Larger lots and acre properties are part of the Black Hawk market, including properties with room for shops and outbuildings. | Acreage becomes more common outside the city core, including areas east of Sturgis and along the surrounding canyon and prairie corridors. |
| Typical lotdiffers | Small city lots, about 0.15 to 0.18 acres in the newer plats | Bigger lots, with shop space and outbuildings normal | Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot dimensions. |
| Covenants and HOAdiffersCovenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel. | Not recorded townwide in this guide. Read the recorded documents for the plat. | 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. |
| Utilities and rules | |||
| Utility patterndiffers | City water and sewer inside the limits | Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it | Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify water and sewer service for the address. |
| Waterdiffers | City of Box Elder municipal | Black Hawk Water User District | Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify the provider for the address. |
| Sewerdiffers | City of Box Elder municipal | Black Hawk Sanitary District serves roughly 200 homes and businesses; properties outside the district are on private septic | Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify the service for the address. |
| Short term rentalsdiffers | A verify first town for rental plans, with one specific misconception the guide clears up. | No municipal short term rental ordinance, because there is no municipality. State licensing still applies, and the subdivision covenant usually decides. | No short term rental licensing ordinance. What the city does regulate is residential camping during the Rally. |
| Schools | |||
| School districtdiffers | Douglas School District 51-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. | Rapid City Area Schools 51-4 for most addressesAssignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. | Meade School District 46-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. |
| Daily errands | |||
| Groceriesdiffers | Lynn's Dakotamart is a full-service grocery store in town. | No full-service grocery store is in Black Hawk. Most larger grocery trips go into Rapid City. | Lynn's Dakotamart is a full-service grocery store in town. |
| Healthcarediffers | Monument Health Box Elder Clinic provides primary and urgent care in town. Hospital-level care is in Rapid City. | Monument Health Rapid City Hospital | Monument Health Sturgis Hospital and clinic are in town. |
| Recreationdiffers | The Liberty Center, the city park and ballfield network, and the South Dakota Air and Space Museum are the in-town recreation. The Badlands are a day trip, not your neighborhood park. | Piedmont and the Stagebarn area are just north, with the central hills close enough for a half day. | Bear Butte State Park, Fort Meade Recreation Area and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum, with the northern hills toward Spearfish and Deadwood close. |
| Mapped subdivisions | |||
| Outlines on filediffers | 16 mapped outlines, 3 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls. | 12 mapped outlines, 5 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls. | 9 mapped outlines, 8 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls. |
| The trade | |||
| Housing and patterndiffers | A young city building its first downtown at Liberty Plaza on 110 acres, with roughly 800 residential units planned. | Unincorporated foothills pockets where lot size, home age and outbuildings change from one parcel to the next. | A full Main Street town with its own grocery, hospital and high school, and Bear Butte on the horizon. |
| What you gaindiffers | The Ellsworth main gate is in town, 9 minutes from most addresses, on city water and sewer, with the region's newest housing pipeline. | 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 town that stands on its own, grocery, hospital and high school inside it, at a price per square foot below Rapid City. |
| What you give updiffers | Comparable sales run thin inside brand new subdivisions and builder incentives move the effective price without moving the list price. I-90 fills at shift change, and the flight line is close enough that you hear it. | 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. | Half an hour of interstate each way to Rapid City, and for the first two weeks of August the Rally is your town. |
Where it sits
Regiondiffers
- Box Elder
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
- Black Hawk
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
- Sturgis
- Northern Hills and I-90
Countydiffers
- Box Elder
- Pennington County
- Black Hawk
- Meade County
- Sturgis
- Meade County
Jurisdictiondiffers
City versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work.- Box Elder
- City of Box Elder
- Black Hawk
- Unincorporated Meade County
- Sturgis
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.
Corridor
- Box Elder
- I-90
- Black Hawk
- I-90
- Sturgis
- I-90
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers
- Box Elder
- 19 min, 10.9 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Black Hawk
- About 12 to 15 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Sturgis
- 33 min, 28.9 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
To Ellsworth AFBdiffers
- Box Elder
- 9 min, 2.3 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Black Hawk
- About 30 minutes, the same I-90 run as Summerset just northDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Sturgis
- 48 min, 38.2 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
Winter drivingdiffers
- Box Elder
- I-90 is state maintained and the city clears the newer plats. Box Elder publishes no plow priority map, so ask a neighbor how the street clears after a real storm.
- Black Hawk
- The road out front may be maintained publicly or by the neighborhood, so ask who plows before you buy.
- Sturgis
- I-90 is state maintained and the city clears its own streets. The county roads out past the edges clear later.
Housing and lots
Typical pricediffers
- Box Elder
- $340k to $400kMedian sold $367,000. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 235 closed sales.
- 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.
- Sturgis
- $300k to $450kMedian sold $365,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 97 closed sales.
Housing agediffers
- Box Elder
- Heavily new construction since the B-21 announcement
- Black Hawk
- Mixed street to street, sometimes neighbor to neighbor
- Sturgis
- Older near the core, newer on the edges
New constructiondiffers
- Box Elder
- Active, with subdivisions still building
- Black Hawk
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
- Sturgis
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Acreagediffers
- Box Elder
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot size.
- Black Hawk
- Larger lots and acre properties are part of the Black Hawk market, including properties with room for shops and outbuildings.
- Sturgis
- Acreage becomes more common outside the city core, including areas east of Sturgis and along the surrounding canyon and prairie corridors.
Typical lotdiffers
- Box Elder
- Small city lots, about 0.15 to 0.18 acres in the newer plats
- Black Hawk
- Bigger lots, with shop space and outbuildings normal
- Sturgis
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot dimensions.
Covenants and HOAdiffers
Covenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel.- Box Elder
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Read the recorded documents for the plat.
- Black Hawk
- Recorded covenants on some plats, none on othersRecorded covenants vary by subdivision and should be checked for the specific property.
- Sturgis
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Read the recorded documents for the plat.
Utilities and rules
Utility patterndiffers
- Box Elder
- City water and sewer inside the limits
- Black Hawk
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- Sturgis
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify water and sewer service for the address.
Waterdiffers
- Box Elder
- City of Box Elder municipal
- Black Hawk
- Black Hawk Water User District
- Sturgis
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify the provider for the address.
Sewerdiffers
- Box Elder
- City of Box Elder municipal
- Black Hawk
- Black Hawk Sanitary District serves roughly 200 homes and businesses; properties outside the district are on private septic
- Sturgis
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify the service for the address.
Short term rentalsdiffers
- Box Elder
- A verify first town for rental plans, with one specific misconception the guide clears up.
- Black Hawk
- No municipal short term rental ordinance, because there is no municipality. State licensing still applies, and the subdivision covenant usually decides.
- Sturgis
- No short term rental licensing ordinance. What the city does regulate is residential camping during the Rally.
Schools
School districtdiffers
- Box Elder
- Douglas School District 51-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Black Hawk
- Rapid City Area Schools 51-4 for most addressesAssignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Sturgis
- Meade School District 46-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Daily errands
Groceriesdiffers
- Box Elder
- Lynn's Dakotamart is a full-service grocery store in town.
- Black Hawk
- No full-service grocery store is in Black Hawk. Most larger grocery trips go into Rapid City.
- Sturgis
- Lynn's Dakotamart is a full-service grocery store in town.
Healthcarediffers
- Box Elder
- Monument Health Box Elder Clinic provides primary and urgent care in town. Hospital-level care is in Rapid City.
- Black Hawk
- Monument Health Rapid City Hospital
- Sturgis
- Monument Health Sturgis Hospital and clinic are in town.
Recreationdiffers
- Box Elder
- The Liberty Center, the city park and ballfield network, and the South Dakota Air and Space Museum are the in-town recreation. The Badlands are a day trip, not your neighborhood park.
- Black Hawk
- Piedmont and the Stagebarn area are just north, with the central hills close enough for a half day.
- Sturgis
- Bear Butte State Park, Fort Meade Recreation Area and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum, with the northern hills toward Spearfish and Deadwood close.
Mapped subdivisions
Outlines on filediffers
- Box Elder
- 16 mapped outlines, 3 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls.
- Black Hawk
- 12 mapped outlines, 5 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls.
- Sturgis
- 9 mapped outlines, 8 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls.
The trade
Housing and patterndiffers
- Box Elder
- A young city building its first downtown at Liberty Plaza on 110 acres, with roughly 800 residential units planned.
- Black Hawk
- Unincorporated foothills pockets where lot size, home age and outbuildings change from one parcel to the next.
- Sturgis
- A full Main Street town with its own grocery, hospital and high school, and Bear Butte on the horizon.
What you gaindiffers
- Box Elder
- The Ellsworth main gate is in town, 9 minutes from most addresses, on city water and sewer, with the region's newest housing pipeline.
- 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.
- Sturgis
- A town that stands on its own, grocery, hospital and high school inside it, at a price per square foot below Rapid City.
What you give updiffers
- Box Elder
- Comparable sales run thin inside brand new subdivisions and builder incentives move the effective price without moving the list price. I-90 fills at shift change, and the flight line is close enough that you hear it.
- 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.
- Sturgis
- Half an hour of interstate each way to Rapid City, and for the first two weeks of August the Rally is your town.
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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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.