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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1 of 25 communities

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 $349,900. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of October 2026. 790 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 Colonial Pine Hills, Buffalo Gap, Black Hawk

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

Region: Colonial Pine HillsRapid City and the Ellsworth corridorBuffalo GapCentral and Southern HillsBlack HawkRapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
County: Colonial Pine HillsPennington CountyBuffalo GapCuster CountyBlack HawkMeade County
Jurisdiction: Colonial Pine HillsUnincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County zones the lots, issues the permits and patrols the roads.Buffalo GapIncorporated town of Buffalo Gap, with Custer County outside the limits.Black HawkUnincorporated Meade County
Corridor: Colonial Pine HillsUS 16 and Sheridan Lake RoadBuffalo GapSD 79Black HawkI-90
To downtown Rapid City: Colonial Pine HillsRoughly 6 miles northeastBuffalo GapAbout 45 miles, roughly 56 minutesBlack HawkAbout 12 to 15 minutes
To Ellsworth AFB: Colonial Pine HillsAbout 25 to 30 minutes, through or around Rapid CityBuffalo GapAbout 55 milesBlack HawkAbout 30 minutes, the same I-90 run as Summerset just north

Side by side

Colonial Pine Hills, Buffalo Gap, Black Hawk

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 corridorColonial Pine Hills	Central and Southern HillsBuffalo Gap	Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorBlack Hawk
Where it sits
Regiondiffers	Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor	Central and Southern Hills	Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
Countydiffers	Pennington County	Custer County	Meade County
JurisdictiondiffersCity versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work.	Unincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County zones the lots, issues the permits and patrols the roads.	Incorporated town of Buffalo Gap, with Custer County outside the limits.	Unincorporated Meade County
Corridordiffers	US 16 and Sheridan Lake Road	SD 79	I-90
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers	Roughly 6 miles northeastDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.	About 45 miles, roughly 56 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.	About 12 to 15 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
To Ellsworth AFBdiffers	About 25 to 30 minutes, through or around Rapid CityDriving time and distance, off peak.	About 55 milesDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.	About 30 minutes, the same I-90 run as Summerset just northDriving time and distance, off peak.
Winter drivingdiffers	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.	Highway 79 is state maintained and is the connection to Hot Springs and Rapid City. Off it, this is open prairie with blowing snow.	The road out front may be maintained publicly or by the neighborhood, so ask who plows before you buy.
Housing and lots
Typical pricediffers	About $702,000 average sold in the Sheridan Lake Road MLS area, 83 sales over 12 monthsAverage sold $701,678. Black Hills MLS, single family, 12 months through early October 2026, as of October 2026. 83 closed sales.	One single family sale shows in the Black Hills MLS over 24 months, at $80,000. One closing is a sample of one rather than a price level, so read it that way.	Median sold $348,949Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of October 2026. 48 closed sales.
Housing agediffers	Platted over several decades, so 1970s cabins and current builds sit on the same road.	An 1885 to 1939 historic core with an aging housing stock and about a fifth of units vacant.	Mixed street to street, sometimes neighbor to neighbor
New constructiondiffers	Limited, mostly infill and small projects	None underway	Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Acreagediffers	Acreage parcels are common here	Acreage parcels are common here	Larger lots and acre properties are part of the Black Hawk market, including properties with room for shops and outbuildings.
Typical lotdiffers	Large by Rapid City standards, from generous lots to several acres.	A handful of historic townsite lots, with grassland and ranch ground around them.	Bigger lots, with shop space and outbuildings normal
Covenants and HOAdiffersCovenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel.	Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others	Few plats here carry recorded covenants	Recorded covenants on some plats, none on othersRecorded covenants vary by subdivision and should be checked for the specific property.
Utilities and rules
Utility patterndiffers	Mostly private well and septic	Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it	Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
Waterdiffers	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.	Town of Buffalo Gap municipal water from a single well, serving about 93 connections. Rural parcels are on private wells.	Black Hawk Water User District
Sewerdiffers	Private on-site septic throughout, permitted by Pennington County. There is no municipal sewer and no lagoon serving the area.	Not documented in the public record. There is no municipal wastewater project or discharge permit on file that I could find. Confirm with the town finance officer before assuming either town sewer or septic.	Black Hawk Sanitary District serves roughly 200 homes and businesses; properties outside the district are on private septic
Short term rentalsdiffers	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.	This is hunting and grassland country rather than a tourism corridor. Demand is seasonal and specific.	No municipal short term rental ordinance, because there is no municipality. State licensing still applies, and the subdivision covenant usually decides.
Schools
School districtdiffers	Rapid City Area School District 51-4Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.	Hot Springs School District 23-2, despite the town being in Custer CountyAssignment 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.
Daily errands
Groceriesdiffers	Everything is in Rapid City, roughly fifteen minutes down US 16.	Nothing full service in town. Hot Springs, about 14 miles south, is where errands happen.	No full-service grocery store is in Black Hawk. Most larger grocery trips go into Rapid City.
Healthcarediffers	No clinic up here. Monument Health Rapid City Hospital and the Rapid City clinics are the answer.	Fall River Health Services in Hot Springs, a 25 bed critical access hospital with a 24 hour emergency department and a rural health clinic, about 18 minutes away.	Monument Health Rapid City Hospital
Recreationdiffers	Sheridan Lake, Pactola, the Mickelson Trail and the whole central Hills network start where the subdivisions end.	Buffalo Gap National Grassland, hunting, rock collecting and OHV country, with the Cheyenne River nearby.	Piedmont and the Stagebarn area are just north, with the central hills close enough for a half day.
Mapped subdivisions
Outlines on filediffers	No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.	No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.	12 mapped outlines, 5 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls.
The trade
Housing and patterndiffers	Ponderosa pine subdivisions platted over decades, no two alike, on county rules six miles from the city.	A nearly intact turn-of-the-century western streetscape on the National Register, mostly quiet, at the gate to the grassland.	Unincorporated foothills pockets where lot size, home age and outbuildings change from one parcel to the next.
What you gaindiffers	Hills elevation, trees and lot size with a Rapid City commute and Rapid City schools.	Eighteen minutes from the hospital in Hot Springs, with 600,000 acres of grassland out the door and one MLS closing in two years to price from.	Bigger lots, room for a shop, and about 12 to 15 minutes to downtown Rapid City, without a city hall setting the local rules.
What you give updiffers	Well or association water, septic on every parcel, private roads in places, and wildfire exposure that affects insurance.	No school, no store and no services in town, an aging water system with an open compliance item, and an undocumented sewer situation.	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 and the Ellsworth corridorColonial Pine Hills
Central and Southern HillsBuffalo Gap
Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorBlack Hawk

Where it sits

Regiondiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
Buffalo Gap: Central and Southern Hills
Black Hawk: Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor

Countydiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Pennington County
Buffalo Gap: Custer County
Black Hawk: Meade County

Jurisdictiondiffers

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

Colonial Pine Hills: Unincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County zones the lots, issues the permits and patrols the roads.
Buffalo Gap: Incorporated town of Buffalo Gap, with Custer County outside the limits.
Black Hawk: Unincorporated Meade County

Corridordiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: US 16 and Sheridan Lake Road
Buffalo Gap: SD 79
Black Hawk: I-90

To downtown Rapid Citydiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Roughly 6 miles northeastDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
Buffalo Gap: About 45 miles, roughly 56 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
Black Hawk: About 12 to 15 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.

To Ellsworth AFBdiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: About 25 to 30 minutes, through or around Rapid CityDriving time and distance, off peak.
Buffalo Gap: About 55 milesDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
Black Hawk: About 30 minutes, the same I-90 run as Summerset just northDriving time and distance, off peak.

Winter drivingdiffers

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.
Buffalo Gap: Highway 79 is state maintained and is the connection to Hot Springs and Rapid City. Off it, this is open prairie with blowing snow.
Black Hawk: The road out front may be maintained publicly or by the neighborhood, so ask who plows before you buy.

Housing and lots

Typical pricediffers

Colonial Pine Hills: About $702,000 average sold in the Sheridan Lake Road MLS area, 83 sales over 12 monthsAverage sold $701,678. Black Hills MLS, single family, 12 months through early October 2026, as of October 2026. 83 closed sales.
Buffalo Gap: One single family sale shows in the Black Hills MLS over 24 months, at $80,000. One closing is a sample of one rather than a price level, so read it that way.
Black Hawk: Median sold $348,949Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of October 2026. 48 closed sales.

Housing agediffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Platted over several decades, so 1970s cabins and current builds sit on the same road.
Buffalo Gap: An 1885 to 1939 historic core with an aging housing stock and about a fifth of units vacant.
Black Hawk: Mixed street to street, sometimes neighbor to neighbor

New constructiondiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Buffalo Gap: None underway
Black Hawk: Limited, mostly infill and small projects

Acreagediffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Acreage parcels are common here
Buffalo Gap: Acreage parcels are common here
Black Hawk: Larger lots and acre properties are part of the Black Hawk market, including properties with room for shops and outbuildings.

Typical lotdiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Large by Rapid City standards, from generous lots to several acres.
Buffalo Gap: A handful of historic townsite lots, with grassland and ranch ground around them.
Black Hawk: Bigger lots, with shop space and outbuildings normal

Covenants and HOAdiffers

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

Colonial Pine Hills: Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others
Buffalo Gap: Few plats here carry recorded covenants
Black Hawk: Recorded covenants on some plats, none on othersRecorded covenants vary by subdivision and should be checked for the specific property.

Utilities and rules

Utility patterndiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Mostly private well and septic
Buffalo Gap: Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
Black Hawk: Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it

Waterdiffers

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.
Buffalo Gap: Town of Buffalo Gap municipal water from a single well, serving about 93 connections. Rural parcels are on private wells.
Black Hawk: Black Hawk Water User District

Sewerdiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Private on-site septic throughout, permitted by Pennington County. There is no municipal sewer and no lagoon serving the area.
Buffalo Gap: Not documented in the public record. There is no municipal wastewater project or discharge permit on file that I could find. Confirm with the town finance officer before assuming either town sewer or septic.
Black Hawk: Black Hawk Sanitary District serves roughly 200 homes and businesses; properties outside the district are on private septic

Short term rentalsdiffers

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.
Buffalo Gap: This is hunting and grassland country rather than a tourism corridor. Demand is seasonal and specific.
Black Hawk: No municipal short term rental ordinance, because there is no municipality. State licensing still applies, and the subdivision covenant usually decides.

Schools

School districtdiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Rapid City Area School District 51-4Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Buffalo Gap: Hot Springs School District 23-2, despite the town being in Custer CountyAssignment 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.

Daily errands

Groceriesdiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Everything is in Rapid City, roughly fifteen minutes down US 16.
Buffalo Gap: Nothing full service in town. Hot Springs, about 14 miles south, is where errands happen.
Black Hawk: No full-service grocery store is in Black Hawk. Most larger grocery trips go into Rapid City.

Healthcarediffers

Colonial Pine Hills: No clinic up here. Monument Health Rapid City Hospital and the Rapid City clinics are the answer.
Buffalo Gap: Fall River Health Services in Hot Springs, a 25 bed critical access hospital with a 24 hour emergency department and a rural health clinic, about 18 minutes away.
Black Hawk: Monument Health Rapid City Hospital

Recreationdiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Sheridan Lake, Pactola, the Mickelson Trail and the whole central Hills network start where the subdivisions end.
Buffalo Gap: Buffalo Gap National Grassland, hunting, rock collecting and OHV country, with the Cheyenne River nearby.
Black Hawk: Piedmont and the Stagebarn area are just north, with the central hills close enough for a half day.

Mapped subdivisions

Outlines on filediffers

Colonial Pine Hills: No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.
Buffalo Gap: No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.
Black Hawk: 12 mapped outlines, 5 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls.

The trade

Housing and patterndiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Ponderosa pine subdivisions platted over decades, no two alike, on county rules six miles from the city.
Buffalo Gap: A nearly intact turn-of-the-century western streetscape on the National Register, mostly quiet, at the gate to the grassland.
Black Hawk: Unincorporated foothills pockets where lot size, home age and outbuildings change from one parcel to the next.

What you gaindiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Hills elevation, trees and lot size with a Rapid City commute and Rapid City schools.
Buffalo Gap: Eighteen minutes from the hospital in Hot Springs, with 600,000 acres of grassland out the door and one MLS closing in two years to price from.
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.

What you give updiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Well or association water, septic on every parcel, private roads in places, and wildfire exposure that affects insurance.
Buffalo Gap: No school, no store and no services in town, an aging water system with an open compliance item, and an undocumented sewer situation.
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.

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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ComparingColonial Pine Hills, Buffalo Gap, Black Hawk

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