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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The five facts that decide a shortlist
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Between Colonial Pine Hills, Custer
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 corridorCusterCentral and Southern Hills
- County
- Colonial Pine HillsPennington CountyCusterCuster County
- Jurisdiction
- Colonial Pine HillsUnincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County zones the lots, issues the permits and patrols the roads.CusterNot recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.
- Corridor
- Colonial Pine HillsUS 16 and Sheridan Lake RoadCusterUS-16
- To downtown Rapid City
- Colonial Pine HillsRoughly 6 miles northeastCusterAbout 50 to 60 minutes
- To Ellsworth AFB
- Colonial Pine HillsAbout 25 to 30 minutes, through or around Rapid CityCusterAbout an hour and ten minutes
Colonial Pine Hills, Custer
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 | ||
| Regiondiffers | Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor | Central and Southern Hills |
| Countydiffers | Pennington County | Custer 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. | Not recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground. |
| Corridordiffers | US 16 and Sheridan Lake Road | US-16 |
| To downtown Rapid Citydiffers | Roughly 6 miles northeastDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel. | About 50 to 60 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 an hour and ten minutesDriving 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. | Winter roads are a genuine planning factor at this distance, and on acreage you need to know who maintains yours. |
| Housing and lots | ||
| Typical pricediffers | 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. | Median sold $627,000Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 7 closed sales, small sample. |
| Housing agediffers | Platted over several decades, so 1970s cabins and current builds sit on the same road. | Mixed ages. Older homes near the core, newer construction toward the edges. |
| New constructiondiffers | Limited, mostly infill and small projects | Not recorded townwide in this guide. Check current permits with the city or county. |
| Acreagediffers | Acreage parcels are common here | Acreage is common outside the city core, with wells and septic systems typical on many rural properties. |
| Typical lotdiffers | Large by Rapid City standards, from generous lots to several acres. | 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. | Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others | Not recorded townwide in this guide. Read the recorded documents for the plat. |
| Utilities and rules | ||
| Utility patterndiffers | Mostly private well and septic | 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. | 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. |
| Sewerdiffers | Private on-site septic throughout, permitted by Pennington County. There is no municipal sewer and no lagoon serving the area. | 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. |
| 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. | Grandfathered permits are non transferable and expire when the property sells, and the rules flip at the city line. |
| Schools | ||
| School districtdiffers | Rapid City Area School District 51-4Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. | Custer School District 16-1Assignment 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. | Lynn's Dakotamart is a full-service grocery store in town. |
| Healthcarediffers | No clinic up here. Monument Health Rapid City Hospital and the Rapid City clinics are the answer. | Monument Health Custer Hospital and clinic are in town. |
| Recreationdiffers | Sheridan Lake, Pactola, the Mickelson Trail and the whole central Hills network start where the subdivisions end. | Custer State Park at the door, including Sylvan Lake, the Needles Highway, the wildlife loop and the September buffalo roundup. |
| The trade | ||
| Housing and patterndiffers | Ponderosa pine subdivisions platted over decades, no two alike, on county rules six miles from the city. | A county seat at a park entrance, with a replacement Monument Health hospital and acreage starting just past the city limits. |
| What you gaindiffers | Hills elevation, trees and lot size with a Rapid City commute and Rapid City schools. | You are inside the Hills with real acreage, Custer State Park at the door, and a new hospital in a town of about 1,900. |
| What you give updiffers | Well or association water, septic on every parcel, private roads in places, and wildfire exposure that affects insurance. | Rapid City is 50 to 60 minutes and Ellsworth over an hour, grandfathered rental permits expire when a property sells, and outside the city limits there are no county building codes. |
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorColonial Pine Hills
Where it sits
Regiondiffers
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
- Custer
- Central and Southern Hills
Countydiffers
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Pennington County
- Custer
- Custer 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.
- Custer
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.
Corridordiffers
- Colonial Pine Hills
- US 16 and Sheridan Lake Road
- Custer
- US-16
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.
- Custer
- About 50 to 60 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.
- Custer
- About an hour and ten minutesDriving 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.
- Custer
- Winter roads are a genuine planning factor at this distance, and on acreage you need to know who maintains yours.
Housing and lots
Typical pricediffers
- 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.
- Custer
- Median sold $627,000Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 7 closed sales, small sample.
Housing agediffers
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Platted over several decades, so 1970s cabins and current builds sit on the same road.
- Custer
- Mixed ages. Older homes near the core, newer construction toward the edges.
New constructiondiffers
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
- Custer
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Check current permits with the city or county.
Acreagediffers
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Acreage parcels are common here
- Custer
- Acreage is common outside the city core, with wells and septic systems typical on many rural properties.
Typical lotdiffers
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Large by Rapid City standards, from generous lots to several acres.
- Custer
- 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.- Colonial Pine Hills
- Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others
- Custer
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Read the recorded documents for the plat.
Utilities and rules
Utility patterndiffers
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Mostly private well and septic
- Custer
- 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.
- Custer
- 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.
Sewerdiffers
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Private on-site septic throughout, permitted by Pennington County. There is no municipal sewer and no lagoon serving the area.
- Custer
- 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.
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.
- Custer
- Grandfathered permits are non transferable and expire when the property sells, and the rules flip at the city line.
Schools
School districtdiffers
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Rapid City Area School District 51-4Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Custer
- Custer School District 16-1Assignment 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.
- Custer
- Lynn's Dakotamart is a full-service grocery store in town.
Healthcarediffers
- Colonial Pine Hills
- No clinic up here. Monument Health Rapid City Hospital and the Rapid City clinics are the answer.
- Custer
- Monument Health Custer Hospital and clinic are in town.
Recreationdiffers
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Sheridan Lake, Pactola, the Mickelson Trail and the whole central Hills network start where the subdivisions end.
- Custer
- Custer State Park at the door, including Sylvan Lake, the Needles Highway, the wildlife loop and the September buffalo roundup.
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.
- Custer
- A county seat at a park entrance, with a replacement Monument Health hospital and acreage starting just past the city limits.
What you gaindiffers
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Hills elevation, trees and lot size with a Rapid City commute and Rapid City schools.
- Custer
- You are inside the Hills with real acreage, Custer State Park at the door, and a new hospital in a town of about 1,900.
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.
- Custer
- Rapid City is 50 to 60 minutes and Ellsworth over an hour, grandfathered rental permits expire when a property sells, and outside the city limits there are no county building codes.
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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