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.

Narrow it

10 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.

Browse

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 $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.
Compare Guide
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.
Compare Guide
Rapid Valley
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.
Compare Guide

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.

Belle Fourche
Typical price
$275k to $375kMedian sold $300,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 113 closed sales.
To Ellsworth AFB
About an hourDriving time and distance, off peak.
To downtown Rapid City
About 55 to 60 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
Utility pattern
Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
School district
Belle Fourche School District 9-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Compare Guide
Lead and Deadwood
Typical price
$320k to $500kMedian sold $385,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 117 closed sales.
To Ellsworth AFB
About 55 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
To downtown Rapid City
About 50 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
Utility pattern
Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify water and sewer service for the address.
School district
Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Compare Guide
Sturgis
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.
Compare 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.

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.
Compare Guide
Hot Springs
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.
Compare 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.

New Underwood
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.
Compare Guide
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.
Selected Guide

What changes

Between Keystone, Green Valley, Wall

The rows below are the ones where these do not read the same. Ordered as the table runs, not by importance.

Region: KeystoneCentral and Southern HillsGreen ValleyRapid City and the Ellsworth corridorWallPrairie and Badlands
Jurisdiction: KeystoneIncorporated town of Keystone, with unincorporated Pennington County on the surrounding hillsides.Green ValleyUnincorporated. No city government. Pennington County zones the lots and the County Sheriff patrols them.WallIncorporated town of Wall, with Pennington County outside the limits.
Corridor: KeystoneUS 16AGreen ValleySD 44WallI-90 exits 109 and 110
To downtown Rapid City: KeystoneAbout 25 minutes northeastGreen ValleyAbout 6 miles northwestWallAbout 50 miles west on I-90
To Ellsworth AFB: KeystoneAbout 40 minutesGreen ValleyAbout 15 minutes northWallAbout 43 miles west
Winter driving: KeystoneBlack Hills elevation on canyon roads, and a town that empties out for the season. Iron Mountain Road and the scenic routes are not winter commuting roads.Green ValleyHighway 44 is a state priority. Everything off it is county, and open prairie means blowing snow reclaims a cleared road quickly.WallI-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.

Side by side

Keystone, Green Valley, 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.

The selected Black Hills communities compared on location, housing, utilities, schools, daily errands, mapped subdivisions and the trade each one asks for
Attribute	Central and Southern HillsKeystone	Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorGreen Valley	Prairie and BadlandsWall
Where it sits
Regiondiffers	Central and Southern Hills	Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor	Prairie and Badlands
County	Pennington County	Pennington County	Pennington County
JurisdictiondiffersCity versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work.	Incorporated town of Keystone, with unincorporated Pennington County on the surrounding hillsides.	Unincorporated. No city government. Pennington County zones the lots and the County Sheriff patrols them.	Incorporated town of Wall, with Pennington County outside the limits.
Corridordiffers	US 16A	SD 44	I-90 exits 109 and 110
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers	About 25 minutes northeastDriving time and distance, off peak.	About 6 miles northwestDistance 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 40 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.	About 15 minutes northDriving 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	Black Hills elevation on canyon roads, and a town that empties out for the season. Iron Mountain Road and the scenic routes are not winter commuting roads.	Highway 44 is a state priority. Everything off it is county, and open prairie means blowing snow reclaims a cleared road quickly.	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	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.	No published median exists for the community. Closed sales on the specific street are the only figure worth quoting here.	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	An 1883 mining town, so genuinely old stock alongside newer builds and cabins.	Mostly late twentieth century through current.	Older stock through town, with a municipal demolition incentive program in place for blighted property.
New construction	Limited, mostly infill and small projects	Limited, mostly infill and small projects	Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Acreagediffers	Some acreage, mostly platted town lots	Some acreage, mostly platted town lots	Acreage parcels are common here
Typical lotdiffers	Small and steep in town, larger on the surrounding hillsides outside the limits.	Generous by city standards, with larger parcels toward Radar Hill and Reservoir Road.	Platted town lots, and then it jumps straight to ranch scale.
Covenants and HOACovenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel.	Few plats here carry recorded covenants	Few plats here carry recorded covenants	Few plats here carry recorded covenants
Utilities and rules
Utility patterndiffers	Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it	Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it	City water and sewer inside the limits
Waterdiffers	Town of Keystone municipal water inside the limits, drawn from town wells, with no violations on its current record. Parcels outside the town limits are on private wells.	Not a single system. The Rapid Valley Sanitary District's service area extends past the Rapid Valley boundary and is the likely supplier for much of Green Valley, and there is also a separate Green Valley Sanitary District administered alongside it. Outlying parcels toward Radar Hill and Reservoir Road are on private wells. Confirm per parcel.	Town of Wall municipal water inside the limits. Rural parcels are on private wells.
Sewerdiffers	Confirm with the town before you rely on it. The town operates public works, but I have not been able to verify from the public record whether it runs a collection system or which parcels it reaches. Outside the limits, expect private septic.	District sewer where the district reaches, private septic where it does not. Confirm per parcel.	Town sewer inside the limits, with private septic on rural parcels.
Short term rentalsdiffers	A 2 percent municipal lodging tax applies to transient stays. Whether a separate short term rental ordinance exists is not clear from the public record, so confirm with the town in writing.	Unincorporated county, so no municipal short-term rental ordinance applies. County zoning and any subdivision covenants govern, and state licensing applies once you rent.	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	Hill City School District 51-2Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the 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.	Wall School District 51-5Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Daily errands
Groceriesdiffers	Nothing full service in town. Hill City is the closest small grocery and Rapid City is the real shopping, about 25 minutes northeast.	The Highway 44 corridor and east Rapid City, a few minutes northwest.	The Wall Food Center on South Boulevard West.
Healthcarediffers	No clinic in town. Monument Health Custer Hospital has a 24 hour emergency department, and Rapid City has the larger hospital.	The Monument Health Rapid Valley Clinic on Elderberry Boulevard for walk-in care, with the hospital in Rapid City.	The Monument Health Wall Clinic on 7th Avenue is in town. The nearest hospital is Monument Health Rapid City, roughly 50 miles west.
Recreationdiffers	Mount Rushmore is past the town boundary, the 1880 Train runs from the Winter Street depot, and Custer State Park and the Norbeck Scenic Byway are close.	Open prairie, the county land east of town, and the whole Black Hills half an hour the other direction.	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.
The trade
Housing and patterndiffers	An 1883 mining camp turned tourism town at the gateway to Mount Rushmore, 240 residents and millions of visitors.	Flat prairie subdivisions east of the city, growing steadily, on county rules.	A complete small prairie town with its own school, clinic and grocery, at the northern gate to the Badlands.
What you gaindiffers	Nightly rental demand runs about as high as anywhere in the Black Hills, if the rules and the covenants check out for the specific property.	More ground for the money six miles from Rapid City, with Ellsworth fifteen minutes north.	Everything a town needs in one place, 50 miles from the city, at prairie prices.
What you give updiffers	A seasonal town with no school, no grocery and no clinic, and a housing stock where half the doors are dark in winter.	A school district line that runs through the community, and a water arrangement that changes street to street.	Fifty miles to a hospital and to real shopping, and an economy that runs on a three month season.

Central and Southern HillsKeystone
Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorGreen Valley
Prairie and BadlandsWall

Where it sits

Regiondiffers

Keystone: Central and Southern Hills
Green Valley: Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
Wall: Prairie and Badlands

County

Keystone: Pennington County
Green Valley: Pennington County
Wall: Pennington County

Jurisdictiondiffers

City versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work.

Keystone: Incorporated town of Keystone, with unincorporated Pennington County on the surrounding hillsides.
Green Valley: Unincorporated. No city government. Pennington County zones the lots and the County Sheriff patrols them.
Wall: Incorporated town of Wall, with Pennington County outside the limits.

Corridordiffers

Keystone: US 16A
Green Valley: SD 44
Wall: I-90 exits 109 and 110

To downtown Rapid Citydiffers

Keystone: About 25 minutes northeastDriving time and distance, off peak.
Green Valley: About 6 miles northwestDistance 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

Keystone: About 40 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
Green Valley: About 15 minutes northDriving 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

Keystone: Black Hills elevation on canyon roads, and a town that empties out for the season. Iron Mountain Road and the scenic routes are not winter commuting roads.
Green Valley: Highway 44 is a state priority. Everything off it is county, and open prairie means blowing snow reclaims a cleared road quickly.
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

Keystone: 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.
Green Valley: No published median exists for the community. Closed sales on the specific street are the only figure worth quoting here.
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

Keystone: An 1883 mining town, so genuinely old stock alongside newer builds and cabins.
Green Valley: Mostly late twentieth century through current.
Wall: Older stock through town, with a municipal demolition incentive program in place for blighted property.

New construction

Keystone: Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Green Valley: Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Wall: Limited, mostly infill and small projects

Acreagediffers

Keystone: Some acreage, mostly platted town lots
Green Valley: Some acreage, mostly platted town lots
Wall: Acreage parcels are common here

Typical lotdiffers

Keystone: Small and steep in town, larger on the surrounding hillsides outside the limits.
Green Valley: Generous by city standards, with larger parcels toward Radar Hill and Reservoir Road.
Wall: Platted town lots, and then it jumps straight to ranch scale.

Covenants and HOA

Covenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel.

Keystone: Few plats here carry recorded covenants
Green Valley: Few plats here carry recorded covenants
Wall: Few plats here carry recorded covenants

Utilities and rules

Utility patterndiffers

Keystone: Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
Green Valley: Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
Wall: City water and sewer inside the limits

Waterdiffers

Keystone: Town of Keystone municipal water inside the limits, drawn from town wells, with no violations on its current record. Parcels outside the town limits are on private wells.
Green Valley: Not a single system. The Rapid Valley Sanitary District's service area extends past the Rapid Valley boundary and is the likely supplier for much of Green Valley, and there is also a separate Green Valley Sanitary District administered alongside it. Outlying parcels toward Radar Hill and Reservoir Road are on private wells. Confirm per parcel.
Wall: Town of Wall municipal water inside the limits. Rural parcels are on private wells.

Sewerdiffers

Keystone: Confirm with the town before you rely on it. The town operates public works, but I have not been able to verify from the public record whether it runs a collection system or which parcels it reaches. Outside the limits, expect private septic.
Green Valley: District sewer where the district reaches, private septic where it does not. Confirm per parcel.
Wall: Town sewer inside the limits, with private septic on rural parcels.

Short term rentalsdiffers

Keystone: A 2 percent municipal lodging tax applies to transient stays. Whether a separate short term rental ordinance exists is not clear from the public record, so confirm with the town in writing.
Green Valley: Unincorporated county, so no municipal short-term rental ordinance applies. County zoning and any subdivision covenants govern, and state licensing applies once you rent.
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

Keystone: Hill City School District 51-2Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Green Valley: 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.
Wall: Wall School District 51-5Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.

Daily errands

Groceriesdiffers

Keystone: Nothing full service in town. Hill City is the closest small grocery and Rapid City is the real shopping, about 25 minutes northeast.
Green Valley: The Highway 44 corridor and east Rapid City, a few minutes northwest.
Wall: The Wall Food Center on South Boulevard West.

Healthcarediffers

Keystone: No clinic in town. Monument Health Custer Hospital has a 24 hour emergency department, and Rapid City has the larger hospital.
Green Valley: The Monument Health Rapid Valley Clinic on Elderberry Boulevard for walk-in care, with the hospital in Rapid City.
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

Keystone: Mount Rushmore is past the town boundary, the 1880 Train runs from the Winter Street depot, and Custer State Park and the Norbeck Scenic Byway are close.
Green Valley: Open prairie, the county land east of town, and the whole Black Hills half an hour the other direction.
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.

The trade

Housing and patterndiffers

Keystone: An 1883 mining camp turned tourism town at the gateway to Mount Rushmore, 240 residents and millions of visitors.
Green Valley: Flat prairie subdivisions east of the city, growing steadily, on county rules.
Wall: A complete small prairie town with its own school, clinic and grocery, at the northern gate to the Badlands.

What you gaindiffers

Keystone: Nightly rental demand runs about as high as anywhere in the Black Hills, if the rules and the covenants check out for the specific property.
Green Valley: More ground for the money six miles from Rapid City, with Ellsworth fifteen minutes north.
Wall: Everything a town needs in one place, 50 miles from the city, at prairie prices.

What you give updiffers

Keystone: A seasonal town with no school, no grocery and no clinic, and a housing stock where half the doors are dark in winter.
Green Valley: A school district line that runs through the community, and a water arrangement that changes street to street.
Wall: Fifty miles to a hospital and to real shopping, and an economy that runs on a three month season.

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

Contact

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.

Call 605-490-2040 Text 605-490-2040 Send a Message

Address Questions

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.

Or send a message from the contact page

ComparingKeystone, Green Valley, Wall

Compare Clear