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.
6 of 25 communities
Price filters only consider communities with a published trailing twelve month median, so towns without one do not appear in a price filter.
The five facts that decide a shortlist
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.
- Typical price
- 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.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 30 minutes, the same I-90 run as Summerset just northDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 12 to 15 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- School district
- Rapid City Area Schools 51-4 for most addressesAssignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
4 is the most that fits. Drop one first.Guide- 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.
- 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.
4 is the most that fits. Drop one first.Guide- 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.
4 is the most that fits. Drop one first.Guide- Typical price
- About $350,000 average sold, 274 sales over 12 monthsAverage sold $349,971. Black Hills MLS, single family, 12 months through August 2026, as of August 2026. 274 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.
4 is the most that fits. Drop one first.Guide- Typical price
- Builder inventory sets the level here, and the MLS publishes no Summerset median on its own.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- 30 min, 19.2 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- 15 min, 10.0 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Sewer collection is provided by the City of Summerset. Water service varies by address and can include Black Hawk Water User District or Diamond D Water in Sun Valley.
- School district
- Meade 46-1 and Rapid City Area Schools 51-4, split within the cityAssignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
4 is the most that fits. Drop one first.Guide
Between Custer, Box Elder, Colonial Pine Hills, Wall
The rows below are the ones where these do not read the same. Ordered as the table runs, not by importance.
- Region
- CusterCentral and Southern HillsBox ElderRapid City and the Ellsworth corridorColonial Pine HillsRapid City and the Ellsworth corridorWallPrairie and Badlands
- County
- CusterCuster CountyBox ElderPennington CountyColonial Pine HillsPennington CountyWallPennington County
- Jurisdiction
- CusterNot recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.Box ElderCity of Box ElderColonial Pine HillsUnincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County zones the lots, issues the permits and patrols the roads.WallIncorporated town of Wall, with Pennington County outside the limits.
- Corridor
- CusterUS-16Box ElderI-90Colonial Pine HillsUS 16 and Sheridan Lake RoadWallI-90 exits 109 and 110
- To downtown Rapid City
- CusterAbout 50 to 60 minutesBox Elder19 min, 10.9 miColonial Pine HillsRoughly 6 miles northeastWallAbout 50 miles west on I-90
- To Ellsworth AFB
- CusterAbout an hour and ten minutesBox Elder9 min, 2.3 miColonial Pine HillsAbout 25 to 30 minutes, through or around Rapid CityWallAbout 43 miles west
Custer, Box Elder, Colonial Pine Hills, Wall
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 | Prairie and BadlandsWall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | ||||
| Regiondiffers | Central and Southern Hills | Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor | Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor | Prairie and Badlands |
| Countydiffers | Custer County | Pennington County | Pennington County | Pennington County |
| JurisdictiondiffersCity versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work. | Not recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground. | City of Box Elder | Unincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County zones the lots, issues the permits and patrols the roads. | Incorporated town of Wall, with Pennington County outside the limits. |
| Corridordiffers | US-16 | I-90 | US 16 and Sheridan Lake Road | I-90 exits 109 and 110 |
| To downtown Rapid Citydiffers | About 50 to 60 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak. | 19 min, 10.9 miDriving time and distance, off peak. | Roughly 6 miles northeastDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel. | About 50 miles west on I-90Distance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel. |
| To Ellsworth AFBdiffers | About an hour and ten minutesDriving time and distance, off peak. | 9 min, 2.3 miDriving time and distance, off peak. | About 25 to 30 minutes, through or around Rapid CityDriving time and distance, off peak. | About 43 miles westDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel. |
| Winter drivingdiffers | Winter roads are a genuine planning factor at this distance, and on acreage you need to know who maintains yours. | 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. | 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 lifeline and it is state maintained, but this is open prairie and I-90 does close in a ground blizzard. Plan for that a few times a winter. |
| Housing and lots | ||||
| Typical pricediffers | Median sold $627,000Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 7 closed sales, small sample. | $340k to $400kMedian sold $367,000. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 235 closed sales. | 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. | 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. |
| Housing agediffers | Mixed ages. Older homes near the core, newer construction toward the edges. | Heavily new construction since the B-21 announcement | Platted over several decades, so 1970s cabins and current builds sit on the same road. | Older stock through town, with a municipal demolition incentive program in place for blighted property. |
| New constructiondiffers | Not recorded townwide in this guide. Check current permits with the city or county. | Active, with subdivisions still building | Limited, mostly infill and small projects | Limited, mostly infill and small projects |
| Acreagediffers | Acreage is common outside the city core, with wells and septic systems typical on many rural properties. | Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot size. | Acreage parcels are common here | Acreage parcels are common here |
| Typical lotdiffers | Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot dimensions. | Small city lots, about 0.15 to 0.18 acres in the newer plats | Large by Rapid City standards, from generous lots to several acres. | Platted town lots, and then it jumps straight to ranch scale. |
| 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. | Not recorded townwide in this guide. Read the recorded documents for the plat. | Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others | Few plats here carry recorded covenants |
| Utilities and rules | ||||
| Utility patterndiffers | Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it | City water and sewer inside the limits | Mostly private well and septic | City water and sewer inside the limits |
| Waterdiffers | 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. | City of Box Elder municipal | 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 Wall municipal water inside the limits. Rural parcels are on private wells. |
| Sewerdiffers | 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. | City of Box Elder municipal | Private on-site septic throughout, permitted by Pennington County. There is no municipal sewer and no lagoon serving the area. | Town sewer inside the limits, with private septic on rural parcels. |
| Short term rentalsdiffers | Grandfathered permits are non transferable and expire when the property sells, and the rules flip at the city line. | A verify first town for rental plans, with one specific misconception the guide clears up. | 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 genuine seasonal tourism territory at a national park gate. Confirm any town requirement, and note that Wall Drug houses many of its own seasonal workers, which removes demand from the local rental market. |
| Schools | ||||
| School districtdiffers | Custer School District 16-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. | Douglas School District 51-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. | Rapid City Area School District 51-4Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. | Wall School District 51-5Assignment 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. | Lynn's Dakotamart is a full-service grocery store in town. | Everything is in Rapid City, roughly fifteen minutes down US 16. | The Wall Food Center on South Boulevard West. |
| Healthcarediffers | Monument Health Custer Hospital and clinic are in town. | Monument Health Box Elder Clinic provides primary and urgent care in town. Hospital-level care is in Rapid City. | No clinic up here. Monument Health Rapid City Hospital and the Rapid City clinics are the answer. | The Monument Health Wall Clinic on 7th Avenue is in town. The nearest hospital is Monument Health Rapid City, roughly 50 miles west. |
| Recreationdiffers | Custer State Park at the door, including Sylvan Lake, the Needles Highway, the wildlife loop and the September buffalo roundup. | 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. | Sheridan Lake, Pactola, the Mickelson Trail and the whole central Hills network start where the subdivisions end. | Badlands National Park about seven miles south, Buffalo Gap National Grassland all around, the National Grasslands Visitor Center on Main Street and the Wall rodeo arena. |
| Mapped subdivisions | ||||
| Outlines on filediffers | No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet. | 16 mapped outlines, 3 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls. | No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet. | No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet. |
| The trade | ||||
| Housing and patterndiffers | A county seat at a park entrance, with a replacement Monument Health hospital and acreage starting just past the city limits. | A young city building its first downtown at Liberty Plaza on 110 acres, with roughly 800 residential units planned. | Ponderosa pine subdivisions platted over decades, no two alike, on county rules six miles from the city. | A complete small prairie town with its own school, clinic and grocery, at the northern gate to the Badlands. |
| What you gaindiffers | 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. | The Ellsworth main gate is in town, 9 minutes from most addresses, on city water and sewer, with the region's newest housing pipeline. | Hills elevation, trees and lot size with a Rapid City commute and Rapid City schools. | Everything a town needs in one place, 50 miles from the city, at prairie prices. |
| What you give updiffers | 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. | 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. | Well or association water, septic on every parcel, private roads in places, and wildfire exposure that affects insurance. | Fifty miles to a hospital and to real shopping, and an economy that runs on a three month season. |
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorColonial Pine Hills
- Prairie and BadlandsWall
Where it sits
Regiondiffers
- Custer
- Central and Southern Hills
- Box Elder
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
- Wall
- Prairie and Badlands
Countydiffers
- Custer
- Custer County
- Box Elder
- Pennington County
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Pennington County
- Wall
- Pennington County
Jurisdictiondiffers
City versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work.- Custer
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.
- Box Elder
- City of Box Elder
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Unincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County zones the lots, issues the permits and patrols the roads.
- Wall
- Incorporated town of Wall, with Pennington County outside the limits.
Corridordiffers
- Custer
- US-16
- Box Elder
- I-90
- Colonial Pine Hills
- US 16 and Sheridan Lake Road
- Wall
- I-90 exits 109 and 110
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers
- Custer
- About 50 to 60 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Box Elder
- 19 min, 10.9 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Roughly 6 miles northeastDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- Wall
- About 50 miles west on I-90Distance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
To Ellsworth AFBdiffers
- Custer
- About an hour and ten minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Box Elder
- 9 min, 2.3 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- About 25 to 30 minutes, through or around Rapid CityDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Wall
- About 43 miles westDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
Winter drivingdiffers
- Custer
- Winter roads are a genuine planning factor at this distance, and on acreage you need to know who maintains yours.
- 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.
- 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.
- Wall
- I-90 is the lifeline and it is state maintained, but this is open prairie and I-90 does close in a ground blizzard. Plan for that a few times a winter.
Housing and lots
Typical pricediffers
- Custer
- Median sold $627,000Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 7 closed sales, small sample.
- Box Elder
- $340k to $400kMedian sold $367,000. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 235 closed sales.
- 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.
- Wall
- 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.
Housing agediffers
- Custer
- Mixed ages. Older homes near the core, newer construction toward the edges.
- Box Elder
- Heavily new construction since the B-21 announcement
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Platted over several decades, so 1970s cabins and current builds sit on the same road.
- Wall
- Older stock through town, with a municipal demolition incentive program in place for blighted property.
New constructiondiffers
- Custer
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Check current permits with the city or county.
- Box Elder
- Active, with subdivisions still building
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
- Wall
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Acreagediffers
- Custer
- Acreage is common outside the city core, with wells and septic systems typical on many rural properties.
- Box Elder
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot size.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Acreage parcels are common here
- Wall
- Acreage parcels are common here
Typical lotdiffers
- Custer
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot dimensions.
- Box Elder
- Small city lots, about 0.15 to 0.18 acres in the newer plats
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Large by Rapid City standards, from generous lots to several acres.
- Wall
- Platted town lots, and then it jumps straight to ranch scale.
Covenants and HOAdiffers
Covenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel.- Custer
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Read the recorded documents for the plat.
- Box Elder
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Read the recorded documents for the plat.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others
- Wall
- Few plats here carry recorded covenants
Utilities and rules
Utility patterndiffers
- Custer
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- Box Elder
- City water and sewer inside the limits
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Mostly private well and septic
- Wall
- City water and sewer inside the limits
Waterdiffers
- 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.
- Box Elder
- City of Box Elder municipal
- 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.
- Wall
- Town of Wall municipal water inside the limits. Rural parcels are on private wells.
Sewerdiffers
- 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.
- Box Elder
- City of Box Elder municipal
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Private on-site septic throughout, permitted by Pennington County. There is no municipal sewer and no lagoon serving the area.
- Wall
- Town sewer inside the limits, with private septic on rural parcels.
Short term rentalsdiffers
- Custer
- Grandfathered permits are non transferable and expire when the property sells, and the rules flip at the city line.
- Box Elder
- A verify first town for rental plans, with one specific misconception the guide clears up.
- 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.
- Wall
- This is genuine seasonal tourism territory at a national park gate. Confirm any town requirement, and note that Wall Drug houses many of its own seasonal workers, which removes demand from the local rental market.
Schools
School districtdiffers
- Custer
- Custer School District 16-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Box Elder
- Douglas School District 51-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Rapid City Area School District 51-4Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Wall
- Wall School District 51-5Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Daily errands
Groceriesdiffers
- Custer
- Lynn's Dakotamart is a full-service grocery store in town.
- Box Elder
- Lynn's Dakotamart is a full-service grocery store in town.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Everything is in Rapid City, roughly fifteen minutes down US 16.
- Wall
- The Wall Food Center on South Boulevard West.
Healthcarediffers
- Custer
- Monument Health Custer Hospital and clinic are in town.
- Box Elder
- Monument Health Box Elder Clinic provides primary and urgent care in town. Hospital-level care is in Rapid City.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- No clinic up here. Monument Health Rapid City Hospital and the Rapid City clinics are the answer.
- Wall
- The Monument Health Wall Clinic on 7th Avenue is in town. The nearest hospital is Monument Health Rapid City, roughly 50 miles west.
Recreationdiffers
- Custer
- Custer State Park at the door, including Sylvan Lake, the Needles Highway, the wildlife loop and the September buffalo roundup.
- 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.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Sheridan Lake, Pactola, the Mickelson Trail and the whole central Hills network start where the subdivisions end.
- Wall
- Badlands National Park about seven miles south, Buffalo Gap National Grassland all around, the National Grasslands Visitor Center on Main Street and the Wall rodeo arena.
Mapped subdivisions
Outlines on filediffers
- Custer
- No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.
- Box Elder
- 16 mapped outlines, 3 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.
- Wall
- No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.
The trade
Housing and patterndiffers
- Custer
- A county seat at a park entrance, with a replacement Monument Health hospital and acreage starting just past the city limits.
- Box Elder
- A young city building its first downtown at Liberty Plaza on 110 acres, with roughly 800 residential units planned.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Ponderosa pine subdivisions platted over decades, no two alike, on county rules six miles from the city.
- Wall
- A complete small prairie town with its own school, clinic and grocery, at the northern gate to the Badlands.
What you gaindiffers
- 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.
- 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.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Hills elevation, trees and lot size with a Rapid City commute and Rapid City schools.
- Wall
- Everything a town needs in one place, 50 miles from the city, at prairie prices.
What you give updiffers
- 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.
- 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.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Well or association water, septic on every parcel, private roads in places, and wildfire exposure that affects insurance.
- Wall
- Fifty miles to a hospital and to real shopping, and an economy that runs on a three month season.
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
Want to talk through the tradeoffs?
Two towns can look identical in a table and feel nothing alike on a Tuesday night in February. Call or text and tell me which rows above are the ones you cannot live with, and we can work the list down from there.
Considering a home here?
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.

