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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4 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

Find a community

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.

Box Elder
Typical price
$340k to $400kMedian sold $369,900. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of October 2026. 184 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.
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Green Valley
Typical price
No published median exists for the community. Closed sales on the specific street are the only figure worth quoting here.
To Ellsworth AFB
About 15 minutes northDriving time and distance, off peak.
To downtown Rapid City
About 6 miles northwestDistance 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
Split between Douglas 51-1 and Rapid City Area 51-4. Address specific.Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
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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.
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Rapid Valley
Typical price
About $351,000 average sold, 283 sales over 12 monthsAverage sold $350,670. Black Hills MLS, single family, 12 months through early October 2026, as of October 2026. 283 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.
Selected Guide

What changes

Between Colonial Pine Hills, New Underwood, Rapid Valley

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 corridorNew UnderwoodPrairie and BadlandsRapid ValleyRapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
Jurisdiction: Colonial Pine HillsUnincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County zones the lots, issues the permits and patrols the roads.New UnderwoodIncorporated city of New Underwood, with Pennington County outside the limitsRapid ValleyUnincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County is the governing body, and Rapid City's subdivision rules still apply within three miles of the city limits.
Corridor: Colonial Pine HillsUS 16 and Sheridan Lake RoadNew UnderwoodI-90 exit 78Rapid ValleySD 44 and Elk Vale Road
To downtown Rapid City: Colonial Pine HillsRoughly 6 miles northeastNew UnderwoodAbout 18 miles west on I-90Rapid Valley11 min, 5.2 mi
To Ellsworth AFB: Colonial Pine HillsAbout 25 to 30 minutes, through or around Rapid CityNew UnderwoodAbout 11 miles, exit 78 to the main gate at exit 67ARapid Valley22 min, 10.4 mi
Winter driving: 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.New UnderwoodI-90 is the commute and it is state maintained. Everything off the interstate is county and city plowing on its own schedule, and this is open prairie, so wind moves snow back onto the road.Rapid ValleyHighway 44 and Elk Vale are state and county priorities. Interior subdivision streets are county maintained and clear after the arterials do.

Side by side

Colonial Pine Hills, New Underwood, Rapid Valley

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	Prairie and BadlandsNew Underwood	Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorRapid Valley
Where it sits
Regiondiffers	Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor	Prairie and Badlands	Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
County	Pennington County	Pennington County	Pennington 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 city of New Underwood, with Pennington County outside the limits	Unincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County is the governing body, and Rapid City's subdivision rules still apply within three miles of the city limits.
Corridordiffers	US 16 and Sheridan Lake Road	I-90 exit 78	SD 44 and Elk Vale Road
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers	Roughly 6 miles northeastDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.	About 18 miles west on I-90Distance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.	11 min, 5.2 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
To Ellsworth AFBdiffers	About 25 to 30 minutes, through or around Rapid CityDriving time and distance, off peak.	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.	22 min, 10.4 miDriving 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.	I-90 is the commute and it is state maintained. Everything off the interstate is county and city plowing on its own schedule, and this is open prairie, so wind moves snow back onto the road.	Highway 44 and Elk Vale are state and county priorities. Interior subdivision streets are county maintained and clear after the arterials do.
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.	About $353,000 average sold, 23 sales over 24 monthsAverage sold $352,841. Black Hills MLS, single family, 24 months through early October 2026, as of October 2026. 23 closed sales.	About $351,000 average sold, 283 sales over 12 monthsAverage sold $350,670. Black Hills MLS, single family, 12 months through early October 2026, as of October 2026. 283 closed sales.
Housing agediffers	Platted over several decades, so 1970s cabins and current builds sit on the same road.	Older in-town stock with scattered newer building.	Mostly late twentieth century through current, with active building on the edges.
New constructiondiffers	Limited, mostly infill and small projects	Limited, mostly infill and small projects	Active, with subdivisions still building
Acreagediffers	Acreage parcels are common here	Acreage parcels are common here	Some acreage, mostly platted town lots
Typical lotdiffers	Large by Rapid City standards, from generous lots to several acres.	Standard town lots on the grid, with ranch and acreage ground starting where the limits end.	Suburban lots through the core, larger parcels toward Reservoir and Radar Hill Roads.
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 others
Utilities and rules
Utility patterndiffers	Mostly private well and septic	Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it	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.
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.	City of New Underwood water inside the limits, drawn from two Madison Aquifer wells. Outside the limits, parcels are on small water associations or private wells.	Rapid Valley Sanitary District, treating Rapid Creek water at its own plant, with the ability to buy treated water from Rapid City at peak demand. Parcels outside the district are on private wells.
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. Rural parcels are on private septic permitted by Pennington County.	Rapid Valley Sanitary District owns and maintains the collection system, and Rapid City treats the wastewater under an intergovernmental agreement. Parcels outside the district are on private septic.
Fire protectiondiffersThe responding department and the distance to it both affect an insurance quote.	Not recorded townwide in this guide. Confirm the responding department by address.	Not recorded townwide in this guide. Confirm the responding department by address.	Rapid Valley Volunteer Fire Department, which also provides EMS and wildland response.
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.	New Underwood is a highway town rather than a tourism town, and no short-term rental ordinance surfaced in the public record. Confirm with the city before you count on rental income.	Unincorporated Pennington County has no city short-term rental ordinance to comply with, which is not the same as no rules. County zoning and any subdivision covenants still govern, and state licensing applies.
Schools
School districtdiffers	Rapid City Area School District 51-4Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.	New Underwood School District 51-3Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the 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.
Daily errands
Groceriesdiffers	Everything is in Rapid City, roughly fifteen minutes down US 16.	BJ's Country Store at the exit 78 interchange for fuel and convenience. Full grocery shopping is Rapid City, about 18 miles west.	Retail and everyday shopping run along Highway 44 on the southern edge, with additional grocery options a few minutes west in Rapid City.
Healthcarediffers	No clinic up here. Monument Health Rapid City Hospital and the Rapid City clinics are the answer.	No clinic in town. The Monument Health Rapid Valley Clinic on Elderberry Boulevard has walk-in urgent care seven days a week, and the hospital is in Rapid City.	Monument Health Rapid Valley Clinic provides primary and urgent care in the community. Hospital-level care is in Rapid City.
Recreationdiffers	Sheridan Lake, Pactola, the Mickelson Trail and the whole central Hills network start where the subdivisions end.	The municipal pool, with a donor-funded free swim program, and open prairie in every direction.	Rapid Creek, the county parks east of town, and everything the Hills offer half an hour west.
The trade
Housing and patterndiffers	Ponderosa pine subdivisions platted over decades, no two alike, on county rules six miles from the city.	A prairie town with its own K through 12 campus and its own interstate exit, 18 miles from the city.	The region's largest unincorporated community: suburban streets, high ownership, county government.
What you gaindiffers	Hills elevation, trees and lot size with a Rapid City commute and Rapid City schools.	The only town this close to Ellsworth that still educates its own kids from kindergarten through graduation.	Rapid City schools and a five mile commute without Rapid City property taxes, plus a walk-in clinic in the neighborhood.
What you give updiffers	Well or association water, septic on every parcel, private roads in places, and wildfire exposure that affects insurance.	You give up the grocery store, the clinic and the hardware store, and you inherit a small municipal water system with a publicly acknowledged supply question.	No city services, a sanitary district bill instead of a city utility bill, and an annexation line that only the parcel record can settle.

Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorColonial Pine Hills
Prairie and BadlandsNew Underwood
Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorRapid Valley

Where it sits

Regiondiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
New Underwood: Prairie and Badlands
Rapid Valley: Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor

County

Colonial Pine Hills: Pennington County
New Underwood: Pennington County
Rapid Valley: Pennington 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.
New Underwood: Incorporated city of New Underwood, with Pennington County outside the limits
Rapid Valley: Unincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County is the governing body, and Rapid City's subdivision rules still apply within three miles of the city limits.

Corridordiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: US 16 and Sheridan Lake Road
New Underwood: I-90 exit 78
Rapid Valley: SD 44 and Elk Vale Road

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.
New Underwood: About 18 miles west on I-90Distance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
Rapid Valley: 11 min, 5.2 miDriving 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.
New Underwood: 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.
Rapid Valley: 22 min, 10.4 miDriving 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.
New Underwood: I-90 is the commute and it is state maintained. Everything off the interstate is county and city plowing on its own schedule, and this is open prairie, so wind moves snow back onto the road.
Rapid Valley: Highway 44 and Elk Vale are state and county priorities. Interior subdivision streets are county maintained and clear after the arterials do.

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.
New Underwood: About $353,000 average sold, 23 sales over 24 monthsAverage sold $352,841. Black Hills MLS, single family, 24 months through early October 2026, as of October 2026. 23 closed sales.
Rapid Valley: About $351,000 average sold, 283 sales over 12 monthsAverage sold $350,670. Black Hills MLS, single family, 12 months through early October 2026, as of October 2026. 283 closed sales.

Housing agediffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Platted over several decades, so 1970s cabins and current builds sit on the same road.
New Underwood: Older in-town stock with scattered newer building.
Rapid Valley: Mostly late twentieth century through current, with active building on the edges.

New constructiondiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Limited, mostly infill and small projects
New Underwood: Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Rapid Valley: Active, with subdivisions still building

Acreagediffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Acreage parcels are common here
New Underwood: Acreage parcels are common here
Rapid Valley: Some acreage, mostly platted town lots

Typical lotdiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Large by Rapid City standards, from generous lots to several acres.
New Underwood: Standard town lots on the grid, with ranch and acreage ground starting where the limits end.
Rapid Valley: Suburban lots through the core, larger parcels toward Reservoir and Radar Hill Roads.

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
New Underwood: Few plats here carry recorded covenants
Rapid Valley: Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others

Utilities and rules

Utility patterndiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Mostly private well and septic
New Underwood: Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
Rapid Valley: 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.

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.
New Underwood: City of New Underwood water inside the limits, drawn from two Madison Aquifer wells. Outside the limits, parcels are on small water associations or private wells.
Rapid Valley: Rapid Valley Sanitary District, treating Rapid Creek water at its own plant, with the ability to buy treated water from Rapid City at peak demand. Parcels outside the district are on private wells.

Sewerdiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Private on-site septic throughout, permitted by Pennington County. There is no municipal sewer and no lagoon serving the area.
New Underwood: City sewer inside the limits. Rural parcels are on private septic permitted by Pennington County.
Rapid Valley: Rapid Valley Sanitary District owns and maintains the collection system, and Rapid City treats the wastewater under an intergovernmental agreement. Parcels outside the district are on private septic.

Fire protectiondiffers

The responding department and the distance to it both affect an insurance quote.

Colonial Pine Hills: Not recorded townwide in this guide. Confirm the responding department by address.
New Underwood: Not recorded townwide in this guide. Confirm the responding department by address.
Rapid Valley: Rapid Valley Volunteer Fire Department, which also provides EMS and wildland response.

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.
New Underwood: New Underwood is a highway town rather than a tourism town, and no short-term rental ordinance surfaced in the public record. Confirm with the city before you count on rental income.
Rapid Valley: Unincorporated Pennington County has no city short-term rental ordinance to comply with, which is not the same as no rules. County zoning and any subdivision covenants still govern, and state licensing applies.

Schools

School districtdiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Rapid City Area School District 51-4Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
New Underwood: New Underwood School District 51-3Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Rapid Valley: 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.

Daily errands

Groceriesdiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Everything is in Rapid City, roughly fifteen minutes down US 16.
New Underwood: BJ's Country Store at the exit 78 interchange for fuel and convenience. Full grocery shopping is Rapid City, about 18 miles west.
Rapid Valley: Retail and everyday shopping run along Highway 44 on the southern edge, with additional grocery options a few minutes west in Rapid City.

Healthcarediffers

Colonial Pine Hills: No clinic up here. Monument Health Rapid City Hospital and the Rapid City clinics are the answer.
New Underwood: No clinic in town. The Monument Health Rapid Valley Clinic on Elderberry Boulevard has walk-in urgent care seven days a week, and the hospital is in Rapid City.
Rapid Valley: Monument Health Rapid Valley Clinic provides primary and urgent care in the community. Hospital-level care is in Rapid City.

Recreationdiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Sheridan Lake, Pactola, the Mickelson Trail and the whole central Hills network start where the subdivisions end.
New Underwood: The municipal pool, with a donor-funded free swim program, and open prairie in every direction.
Rapid Valley: Rapid Creek, the county parks east of town, and everything the Hills offer half an hour west.

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.
New Underwood: A prairie town with its own K through 12 campus and its own interstate exit, 18 miles from the city.
Rapid Valley: The region's largest unincorporated community: suburban streets, high ownership, county government.

What you gaindiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Hills elevation, trees and lot size with a Rapid City commute and Rapid City schools.
New Underwood: The only town this close to Ellsworth that still educates its own kids from kindergarten through graduation.
Rapid Valley: Rapid City schools and a five mile commute without Rapid City property taxes, plus a walk-in clinic in the neighborhood.

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.
New Underwood: You give up the grocery store, the clinic and the hardware store, and you inherit a small municipal water system with a publicly acknowledged supply question.
Rapid Valley: No city services, a sanitary district bill instead of a city utility bill, and an annexation line that only the parcel record can settle.

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, New Underwood, Rapid Valley

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