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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5 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, 2 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 $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.
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Rapid City
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.
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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.

Spearfish
Typical price
$400k to $600kMedian sold $475,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 199 closed sales.
To Ellsworth AFB
68 min, 57.0 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
To downtown Rapid City
53 min, 47.8 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
Utility pattern
City water and sewer are typical inside city-served areas. Acreage outside the city can use wells, septic systems or other service arrangements, so utilities should be confirmed by address.
School district
Spearfish School District 40-2Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
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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.

Edgemont
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.
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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.

Wall
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.
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What changes

Between Colonial Pine Hills, Whitewood

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 corridorWhitewoodNorthern Hills and I-90
County: Colonial Pine HillsPennington CountyWhitewoodLawrence County
Jurisdiction: Colonial Pine HillsUnincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County zones the lots, issues the permits and patrols the roads.WhitewoodNot recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.
Corridor: Colonial Pine HillsUS 16 and Sheridan Lake RoadWhitewoodI-90 and US-85
To downtown Rapid City: Colonial Pine HillsRoughly 6 miles northeastWhitewoodAbout 35 minutes
To Ellsworth AFB: Colonial Pine HillsAbout 25 to 30 minutes, through or around Rapid CityWhitewoodAbout 40 minutes

Side by side

Colonial Pine Hills, Whitewood

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	Northern Hills and I-90Whitewood
Where it sits
Regiondiffers	Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor	Northern Hills and I-90
Countydiffers	Pennington County	Lawrence 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	I-90 and US-85
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers	Roughly 6 miles northeastDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.	About 35 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 40 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.	I-90 and US-85 are state maintained. The town streets and the roads out past them clear on their own schedule.
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.	No town median is published for Whitewood, and it sits in Lawrence County, which the Mount Rushmore Area MLS covers rather than the Black Hills feed behind the figures here. Prices sit under Sturgis, Spearfish and Deadwood, each about ten minutes out.
Housing agediffers	Platted over several decades, so 1970s cabins and current builds sit on the same road.	Older and modest through town, so systems matter more than finishes.
New construction	Limited, mostly infill and small projects	Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Acreagediffers	Acreage parcels are common here	Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot size.
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.	No short term rental provisions in the city code, and Rally season renting is common here under state rules.
Schools
School districtdiffers	Rapid City Area School District 51-4Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.	Meade School District 46-1, despite being in Lawrence CountyAssignment 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.	No full-service grocery store is in Whitewood. Most larger grocery trips go to Sturgis or Spearfish.
Healthcarediffers	No clinic up here. Monument Health Rapid City Hospital and the Rapid City clinics are the answer.	Monument Health Sturgis HospitalNo hospital in Whitewood. Sturgis is the nearer of the two, with Spearfish next.
Recreationdiffers	Sheridan Lake, Pactola, the Mickelson Trail and the whole central Hills network start where the subdivisions end.	Sturgis and Bear Butte State Park about eight miles east, Deadwood 10 to 12 miles southwest, Spearfish and Spearfish Canyon 10 to 12 miles northwest.
Mapped subdivisions
Outlines on filediffers	No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.	23 mapped outlines, 0 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 quiet main street with Sturgis, Spearfish and Deadwood each about ten minutes out and the interstate right there.
What you gaindiffers	Hills elevation, trees and lot size with a Rapid City commute and Rapid City schools.	Small town prices with three larger towns about ten minutes out in three directions, in Meade 46-1 despite sitting in Lawrence County.
What you give updiffers	Well or association water, septic on every parcel, private roads in places, and wildfire exposure that affects insurance.	Anything past the basics is a drive to Sturgis, Spearfish or Deadwood, and there are no published MLS figures for the town on its own.

Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorColonial Pine Hills
Northern Hills and I-90Whitewood

Where it sits

Regiondiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
Whitewood: Northern Hills and I-90

Countydiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Pennington County
Whitewood: Lawrence 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.
Whitewood: 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
Whitewood: I-90 and US-85

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.
Whitewood: About 35 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.
Whitewood: About 40 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.
Whitewood: I-90 and US-85 are state maintained. The town streets and the roads out past them clear on their own schedule.

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.
Whitewood: No town median is published for Whitewood, and it sits in Lawrence County, which the Mount Rushmore Area MLS covers rather than the Black Hills feed behind the figures here. Prices sit under Sturgis, Spearfish and Deadwood, each about ten minutes out.

Housing agediffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Platted over several decades, so 1970s cabins and current builds sit on the same road.
Whitewood: Older and modest through town, so systems matter more than finishes.

New construction

Colonial Pine Hills: Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Whitewood: Limited, mostly infill and small projects

Acreagediffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Acreage parcels are common here
Whitewood: Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot size.

Typical lotdiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Large by Rapid City standards, from generous lots to several acres.
Whitewood: 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
Whitewood: 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
Whitewood: 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.
Whitewood: 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.
Whitewood: 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.
Whitewood: No short term rental provisions in the city code, and Rally season renting is common here under state rules.

Schools

School districtdiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Rapid City Area School District 51-4Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Whitewood: Meade School District 46-1, despite being in Lawrence CountyAssignment 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.
Whitewood: No full-service grocery store is in Whitewood. Most larger grocery trips go to Sturgis or Spearfish.

Healthcarediffers

Colonial Pine Hills: No clinic up here. Monument Health Rapid City Hospital and the Rapid City clinics are the answer.
Whitewood: Monument Health Sturgis HospitalNo hospital in Whitewood. Sturgis is the nearer of the two, with Spearfish next.

Recreationdiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Sheridan Lake, Pactola, the Mickelson Trail and the whole central Hills network start where the subdivisions end.
Whitewood: Sturgis and Bear Butte State Park about eight miles east, Deadwood 10 to 12 miles southwest, Spearfish and Spearfish Canyon 10 to 12 miles northwest.

Mapped subdivisions

Outlines on filediffers

Colonial Pine Hills: No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.
Whitewood: 23 mapped outlines, 0 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.
Whitewood: A quiet main street with Sturgis, Spearfish and Deadwood each about ten minutes out and the interstate right there.

What you gaindiffers

Colonial Pine Hills: Hills elevation, trees and lot size with a Rapid City commute and Rapid City schools.
Whitewood: Small town prices with three larger towns about ten minutes out in three directions, in Meade 46-1 despite sitting in Lawrence County.

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.
Whitewood: Anything past the basics is a drive to Sturgis, Spearfish or Deadwood, and there are no published MLS figures for the town on its own.

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, Whitewood

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