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.
7 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
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.
- Typical price
- $300k to $450kMedian sold $365,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 97 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- 48 min, 38.2 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- 33 min, 28.9 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify water and sewer service for the address.
- School district
- Meade School District 46-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
4 is the most that fits. Drop one first.Guide
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.
- 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.
- Typical price
- About $650,000 average sold, 28 sales over 24 monthsAverage sold $648,229. Black Hills MLS, single family, 24 months through August 2026, as of August 2026. 28 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 35 minutes, north through Rapid City to I-90Driving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- 26 min, 18.6 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- School district
- Custer School District 16-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
4 is the most that fits. Drop one first.Guide- Typical price
- Median sold $315,150Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 24 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About an hour and fifteen minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 60 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify water and sewer service for the address.
- School district
- Hot Springs School District 23-2Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
4 is the most that fits. Drop one first.Guide- Typical price
- About $618,000 average sold, but only 9 sales over 24 monthsAverage sold $618,449. Black Hills MLS, single family, 24 months through August 2026, as of August 2026. 9 closed sales, small sample.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 40 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 25 minutes northeastDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- School district
- Hill City School District 51-2Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
4 is the most that fits. Drop one first.Guide
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.
- Typical price
- About $320,000 average sold, 20 sales over 24 monthsAverage sold $319,585. Black Hills MLS, single family, 24 months through August 2026, as of August 2026. 20 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- 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.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 18 miles west on I-90Distance 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
- New Underwood School District 51-3Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
4 is the most that fits. Drop one first.Guide- 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.
4 is the most that fits. Drop one first.Guide
Between Edgemont, Box Elder, Belle Fourche, Black Hawk
The rows below are the ones where these do not read the same. Ordered as the table runs, not by importance.
- Region
- EdgemontCentral and Southern HillsBox ElderRapid City and the Ellsworth corridorBelle FourcheNorthern Hills and I-90Black HawkRapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
- County
- EdgemontFall River CountyBox ElderPennington CountyBelle FourcheButte CountyBlack HawkMeade County
- Jurisdiction
- EdgemontIncorporated city of Edgemont, with Fall River County outside the limits.Box ElderCity of Box ElderBelle FourcheNot recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.Black HawkUnincorporated Meade County
- Corridor
- EdgemontUS 18 and SD 471Box ElderI-90Belle FourcheUS-85 and SD-34Black HawkI-90
- To downtown Rapid City
- EdgemontAbout 100 miles northeastBox Elder19 min, 10.9 miBelle FourcheAbout 55 to 60 minutesBlack HawkAbout 12 to 15 minutes
- To Ellsworth AFB
- EdgemontAbout 110 milesBox Elder9 min, 2.3 miBelle FourcheAbout an hourBlack HawkAbout 30 minutes, the same I-90 run as Summerset just north
Edgemont, Box Elder, Belle Fourche, Black Hawk
Rows marked as differing are the ones where these do not read alike. Rows without the mark sit on a quiet background because they say the same thing in every column.
| Attribute | Central and Southern HillsEdgemont | Northern Hills and I-90Belle Fourche | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | ||||
| Regiondiffers | Central and Southern Hills | Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor | Northern Hills and I-90 | Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor |
| Countydiffers | Fall River County | Pennington County | Butte County | Meade County |
| JurisdictiondiffersCity versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work. | Incorporated city of Edgemont, with Fall River County outside the limits. | City of Box Elder | Not recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground. | Unincorporated Meade County |
| Corridordiffers | US 18 and SD 471 | I-90 | US-85 and SD-34 | I-90 |
| To downtown Rapid Citydiffers | About 100 miles northeastDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel. | 19 min, 10.9 miDriving time and distance, off peak. | About 55 to 60 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak. | About 12 to 15 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak. |
| To Ellsworth AFBdiffers | About 110 milesDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel. | 9 min, 2.3 miDriving time and distance, off peak. | About an hourDriving time and distance, off peak. | About 30 minutes, the same I-90 run as Summerset just northDriving time and distance, off peak. |
| Winter drivingdiffers | Cold semi-arid country with a recorded low of 40 below. US 18 is the lifeline and it is a long way to anywhere in a storm. | 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. | Out on the acreage the question is who maintains the road in winter, and it is worth asking in writing. | The road out front may be maintained publicly or by the neighborhood, so ask who plows before you buy. |
| Housing and lots | ||||
| Typical pricediffers | About $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. | $340k to $400kMedian sold $367,000. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 235 closed sales. | $275k to $375kMedian sold $300,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 113 closed sales. | 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. |
| Housing agediffers | An 1890 railroad town, so mostly older stock, with about a quarter of units vacant at the 2020 count. | Heavily new construction since the B-21 announcement | Older homes in town, newer construction on the edges | Mixed street to street, sometimes neighbor to neighbor |
| New constructiondiffers | None underway | Active, with subdivisions still building | 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. | Larger lots and acreage become more common around the edges of Belle Fourche and in nearby rural subdivisions. | Larger lots and acre properties are part of the Black Hawk market, including properties with room for shops and outbuildings. |
| Typical lotdiffers | Town lots inside the limits, ranch scale outside them. | Small city lots, about 0.15 to 0.18 acres in the newer plats | Generous in town, acreage out past it | Bigger lots, with shop space and outbuildings normal |
| Covenants and HOAdiffersCovenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel. | Few plats here carry recorded covenants | 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 othersRecorded covenants vary by subdivision and should be checked for the specific property. |
| Utilities and rules | ||||
| Utility patterndiffers | City water and sewer inside the limits | City water and sewer inside the limits | Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it | Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it |
| Waterdiffers | City of Edgemont municipal water. Rural parcels are on private wells. | City of Box Elder municipal | 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. | Black Hawk Water User District |
| Sewerdiffers | City sewer inside the limits, with private septic on rural parcels. | City of Box Elder municipal | 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. | Black Hawk Sanitary District serves roughly 200 homes and businesses; properties outside the district are on private septic |
| Short term rentalsdiffers | Edgemont is not a tourism town. Short-term rental demand here is work crews, hunting season and Rally traffic passing through, not visitors staying to see something. | A verify first town for rental plans, with one specific misconception the guide clears up. | General zoning and state rules do the work in Belle Fourche. Confirm the lodging use category with city hall for the address before you count on rental income. | No municipal short term rental ordinance, because there is no municipality. State licensing still applies, and the subdivision covenant usually decides. |
| Schools | ||||
| School districtdiffers | Edgemont School District 23-1Assignment 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. | Belle Fourche School District 9-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. | Rapid City Area Schools 51-4 for most addressesAssignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. |
| Daily errands | ||||
| Groceriesdiffers | Small-town grocery and convenience in Edgemont, with Hot Springs about 35 miles east for more. | Lynn's Dakotamart is a full-service grocery store in town. | Full-service grocery options in town include Lueders Food Centers and Lynn's Dakotamart. | No full-service grocery store is in Black Hawk. Most larger grocery trips go into Rapid City. |
| Healthcarediffers | No hospital in town. Fall River Health Services in Hot Springs is a 25 bed critical access hospital with a 24 hour emergency department. | Monument Health Box Elder Clinic provides primary and urgent care in town. Hospital-level care is in Rapid City. | Monument Health has a clinic in Belle Fourche. Hospital-level care is available in Spearfish. | Monument Health Rapid City Hospital |
| Recreationdiffers | The hundred-year-old city park, the campground, the Elk Mountains and open country in every direction. | 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. | The Geographic Center of the Nation monument, the Tri-State Museum, and the Black Hills Roundup rodeo every Fourth of July week since 1918. | Piedmont and the Stagebarn area are just north, with the central hills close enough for a half day. |
| Mapped subdivisions | ||||
| Outlines on filediffers | No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet. | 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. | 12 mapped outlines, 5 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls. |
| The trade | ||||
| Housing and patterndiffers | A working BNSF crew-change town founded in 1890, at the far southern edge of the Hills below the Elk Mountains. | A young city building its first downtown at Liberty Plaza on 110 acres, with roughly 800 residential units planned. | A ranching hub with a working main street, mature trees and a rodeo the whole town turns out for. | Unincorporated foothills pockets where lot size, home age and outbuildings change from one parcel to the next. |
| What you gaindiffers | More town per dollar than anywhere else in the region, with its own school district and city utilities. | The Ellsworth main gate is in town, 9 minutes from most addresses, on city water and sewer, with the region's newest housing pipeline. | A $300,000 median across 113 trailing twelve month sales, under Spearfish, Sturgis and Deadwood, with acreage out past town. | Bigger lots, room for a shop, and about 12 to 15 minutes to downtown Rapid City, without a city hall setting the local rules. |
| What you give updiffers | A hundred miles from Rapid City, 35 from a hospital, with two unresolved questions hanging over the local economy. | 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. | Rapid City is 55 to 60 minutes and Ellsworth about an hour, so this is a commute you pick on purpose. | There is no city hall, so the subdivision covenant decides what you can build or rent, and water, sewer and road maintenance all change parcel to parcel. |
- Central and Southern HillsEdgemont
- Northern Hills and I-90Belle Fourche
Where it sits
Regiondiffers
- Edgemont
- Central and Southern Hills
- Box Elder
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
- Belle Fourche
- Northern Hills and I-90
- Black Hawk
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
Countydiffers
- Edgemont
- Fall River County
- Box Elder
- Pennington County
- Belle Fourche
- Butte County
- Black Hawk
- Meade County
Jurisdictiondiffers
City versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work.- Edgemont
- Incorporated city of Edgemont, with Fall River County outside the limits.
- Box Elder
- City of Box Elder
- Belle Fourche
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.
- Black Hawk
- Unincorporated Meade County
Corridordiffers
- Edgemont
- US 18 and SD 471
- Box Elder
- I-90
- Belle Fourche
- US-85 and SD-34
- Black Hawk
- I-90
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers
- Edgemont
- About 100 miles northeastDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- Box Elder
- 19 min, 10.9 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Belle Fourche
- About 55 to 60 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Black Hawk
- About 12 to 15 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
To Ellsworth AFBdiffers
- Edgemont
- About 110 milesDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- Box Elder
- 9 min, 2.3 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Belle Fourche
- About an hourDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Black Hawk
- About 30 minutes, the same I-90 run as Summerset just northDriving time and distance, off peak.
Winter drivingdiffers
- Edgemont
- Cold semi-arid country with a recorded low of 40 below. US 18 is the lifeline and it is a long way to anywhere in a storm.
- 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.
- Belle Fourche
- Out on the acreage the question is who maintains the road in winter, and it is worth asking in writing.
- Black Hawk
- The road out front may be maintained publicly or by the neighborhood, so ask who plows before you buy.
Housing and lots
Typical pricediffers
- Edgemont
- 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.
- Box Elder
- $340k to $400kMedian sold $367,000. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 235 closed sales.
- Belle Fourche
- $275k to $375kMedian sold $300,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 113 closed sales.
- Black Hawk
- 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.
Housing agediffers
- Edgemont
- An 1890 railroad town, so mostly older stock, with about a quarter of units vacant at the 2020 count.
- Box Elder
- Heavily new construction since the B-21 announcement
- Belle Fourche
- Older homes in town, newer construction on the edges
- Black Hawk
- Mixed street to street, sometimes neighbor to neighbor
New constructiondiffers
- Edgemont
- None underway
- Box Elder
- Active, with subdivisions still building
- Belle Fourche
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
- Black Hawk
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Acreagediffers
- Edgemont
- Acreage parcels are common here
- Box Elder
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot size.
- Belle Fourche
- Larger lots and acreage become more common around the edges of Belle Fourche and in nearby rural subdivisions.
- Black Hawk
- Larger lots and acre properties are part of the Black Hawk market, including properties with room for shops and outbuildings.
Typical lotdiffers
- Edgemont
- Town lots inside the limits, ranch scale outside them.
- Box Elder
- Small city lots, about 0.15 to 0.18 acres in the newer plats
- Belle Fourche
- Generous in town, acreage out past it
- Black Hawk
- Bigger lots, with shop space and outbuildings normal
Covenants and HOAdiffers
Covenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel.- Edgemont
- Few plats here carry recorded covenants
- Box Elder
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Read the recorded documents for the plat.
- Belle Fourche
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Read the recorded documents for the plat.
- Black Hawk
- Recorded covenants on some plats, none on othersRecorded covenants vary by subdivision and should be checked for the specific property.
Utilities and rules
Utility patterndiffers
- Edgemont
- City water and sewer inside the limits
- Box Elder
- City water and sewer inside the limits
- Belle Fourche
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- Black Hawk
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
Waterdiffers
- Edgemont
- City of Edgemont municipal water. Rural parcels are on private wells.
- Box Elder
- City of Box Elder municipal
- Belle Fourche
- 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.
- Black Hawk
- Black Hawk Water User District
Sewerdiffers
- Edgemont
- City sewer inside the limits, with private septic on rural parcels.
- Box Elder
- City of Box Elder municipal
- Belle Fourche
- 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.
- Black Hawk
- Black Hawk Sanitary District serves roughly 200 homes and businesses; properties outside the district are on private septic
Short term rentalsdiffers
- Edgemont
- Edgemont is not a tourism town. Short-term rental demand here is work crews, hunting season and Rally traffic passing through, not visitors staying to see something.
- Box Elder
- A verify first town for rental plans, with one specific misconception the guide clears up.
- Belle Fourche
- General zoning and state rules do the work in Belle Fourche. Confirm the lodging use category with city hall for the address before you count on rental income.
- Black Hawk
- No municipal short term rental ordinance, because there is no municipality. State licensing still applies, and the subdivision covenant usually decides.
Schools
School districtdiffers
- Edgemont
- Edgemont School District 23-1Assignment 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.
- Belle Fourche
- Belle Fourche School District 9-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Black Hawk
- Rapid City Area Schools 51-4 for most addressesAssignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Daily errands
Groceriesdiffers
- Edgemont
- Small-town grocery and convenience in Edgemont, with Hot Springs about 35 miles east for more.
- Box Elder
- Lynn's Dakotamart is a full-service grocery store in town.
- Belle Fourche
- Full-service grocery options in town include Lueders Food Centers and Lynn's Dakotamart.
- Black Hawk
- No full-service grocery store is in Black Hawk. Most larger grocery trips go into Rapid City.
Healthcarediffers
- Edgemont
- No hospital in town. Fall River Health Services in Hot Springs is a 25 bed critical access hospital with a 24 hour emergency department.
- Box Elder
- Monument Health Box Elder Clinic provides primary and urgent care in town. Hospital-level care is in Rapid City.
- Belle Fourche
- Monument Health has a clinic in Belle Fourche. Hospital-level care is available in Spearfish.
- Black Hawk
- Monument Health Rapid City Hospital
Recreationdiffers
- Edgemont
- The hundred-year-old city park, the campground, the Elk Mountains and open country in every direction.
- 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.
- Belle Fourche
- The Geographic Center of the Nation monument, the Tri-State Museum, and the Black Hills Roundup rodeo every Fourth of July week since 1918.
- Black Hawk
- Piedmont and the Stagebarn area are just north, with the central hills close enough for a half day.
Mapped subdivisions
Outlines on filediffers
- Edgemont
- 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.
- Belle Fourche
- No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.
- Black Hawk
- 12 mapped outlines, 5 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls.
The trade
Housing and patterndiffers
- Edgemont
- A working BNSF crew-change town founded in 1890, at the far southern edge of the Hills below the Elk Mountains.
- Box Elder
- A young city building its first downtown at Liberty Plaza on 110 acres, with roughly 800 residential units planned.
- Belle Fourche
- A ranching hub with a working main street, mature trees and a rodeo the whole town turns out for.
- Black Hawk
- Unincorporated foothills pockets where lot size, home age and outbuildings change from one parcel to the next.
What you gaindiffers
- Edgemont
- More town per dollar than anywhere else in the region, with its own school district and city utilities.
- 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.
- Belle Fourche
- A $300,000 median across 113 trailing twelve month sales, under Spearfish, Sturgis and Deadwood, with acreage out past town.
- Black Hawk
- Bigger lots, room for a shop, and about 12 to 15 minutes to downtown Rapid City, without a city hall setting the local rules.
What you give updiffers
- Edgemont
- A hundred miles from Rapid City, 35 from a hospital, with two unresolved questions hanging over the local economy.
- 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.
- Belle Fourche
- Rapid City is 55 to 60 minutes and Ellsworth about an hour, so this is a commute you pick on purpose.
- Black Hawk
- There is no city hall, so the subdivision covenant decides what you can build or rent, and water, sewer and road maintenance all change parcel to parcel.
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.
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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.

