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.
4 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
- $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.
- 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.
- 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.
Between New Underwood, Rapid Valley
The rows below are the ones where these do not read the same. Ordered as the table runs, not by importance.
- Region
- New UnderwoodPrairie and BadlandsRapid ValleyRapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
- Jurisdiction
- New UnderwoodIncorporated city of New Underwood, with Pennington County outside the limitsRapid ValleyUnincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County is the governing body, and Rapid City's subdivision rules still apply within three miles of the city limits.
- Corridor
- New UnderwoodI-90 exit 78Rapid ValleySD 44 and Elk Vale Road
- To downtown Rapid City
- New UnderwoodAbout 18 miles west on I-90Rapid Valley11 min, 5.2 mi
- To Ellsworth AFB
- New UnderwoodAbout 11 miles, exit 78 to the main gate at exit 67ARapid Valley22 min, 10.4 mi
- Winter driving
- New UnderwoodI-90 is the commute and it is state maintained. Everything off the interstate is county and city plowing on its own schedule, and this is open prairie, so wind moves snow back onto the road.Rapid ValleyHighway 44 and Elk Vale are state and county priorities. Interior subdivision streets are county maintained and clear after the arterials do.
New Underwood, Rapid Valley
Rows marked as differing are the ones where these do not read alike. Rows without the mark sit on a quiet background because they say the same thing in every column.
| Attribute | Prairie and BadlandsNew Underwood | Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorRapid Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | ||
| Regiondiffers | Prairie and Badlands | Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor |
| County | Pennington County | Pennington County |
| JurisdictiondiffersCity versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work. | Incorporated city of New Underwood, with Pennington County outside the limits | Unincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County is the governing body, and Rapid City's subdivision rules still apply within three miles of the city limits. |
| Corridordiffers | I-90 exit 78 | SD 44 and Elk Vale Road |
| To downtown Rapid Citydiffers | About 18 miles west on I-90Distance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel. | 11 min, 5.2 miDriving time and distance, off peak. |
| To Ellsworth AFBdiffers | About 11 miles, exit 78 to the main gate at exit 67ADistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel. | 22 min, 10.4 miDriving time and distance, off peak. |
| Winter drivingdiffers | I-90 is the commute and it is state maintained. Everything off the interstate is county and city plowing on its own schedule, and this is open prairie, so wind moves snow back onto the road. | Highway 44 and Elk Vale are state and county priorities. Interior subdivision streets are county maintained and clear after the arterials do. |
| Housing and lots | ||
| Typical pricediffers | About $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. | 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. |
| Housing agediffers | Older in-town stock with scattered newer building. | Mostly late twentieth century through current, with active building on the edges. |
| New constructiondiffers | Limited, mostly infill and small projects | Active, with subdivisions still building |
| Acreagediffers | Acreage parcels are common here | Some acreage, mostly platted town lots |
| Typical lotdiffers | Standard town lots on the grid, with ranch and acreage ground starting where the limits end. | Suburban lots through the core, larger parcels toward Reservoir and Radar Hill Roads. |
| Covenants and HOAdiffersCovenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel. | Few plats here carry recorded covenants | Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others |
| Utilities and rules | ||
| Utility patterndiffers | Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it | Utility service varies by address. Rapid Valley Sanitary District serves portions of the area, while properties outside district service may use private wells and septic systems. |
| Waterdiffers | City of New Underwood water inside the limits, drawn from two Madison Aquifer wells. Outside the limits, parcels are on small water associations or private wells. | Rapid Valley Sanitary District, treating Rapid Creek water at its own plant, with the ability to buy treated water from Rapid City at peak demand. Parcels outside the district are on private wells. |
| Sewerdiffers | City sewer inside the limits. Rural parcels are on private septic permitted by Pennington County. | Rapid Valley Sanitary District owns and maintains the collection system, and Rapid City treats the wastewater under an intergovernmental agreement. Parcels outside the district are on private septic. |
| Fire protectiondiffersThe responding department and the distance to it both affect an insurance quote. | Not recorded townwide in this guide. Confirm the responding department by address. | Rapid Valley Volunteer Fire Department, which also provides EMS and wildland response. |
| Short term rentalsdiffers | New Underwood is a highway town rather than a tourism town, and no short-term rental ordinance surfaced in the public record. Confirm with the city before you count on rental income. | Unincorporated Pennington County has no city short-term rental ordinance to comply with, which is not the same as no rules. County zoning and any subdivision covenants still govern, and state licensing applies. |
| Schools | ||
| School districtdiffers | New Underwood School District 51-3Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. | Mostly Rapid City Area School District 51-4, with portions in Douglas 51-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. |
| Daily errands | ||
| Groceriesdiffers | BJ's Country Store at the exit 78 interchange for fuel and convenience. Full grocery shopping is Rapid City, about 18 miles west. | Retail and everyday shopping run along Highway 44 on the southern edge, with additional grocery options a few minutes west in Rapid City. |
| Healthcarediffers | No clinic in town. The Monument Health Rapid Valley Clinic on Elderberry Boulevard has walk-in urgent care seven days a week, and the hospital is in Rapid City. | Monument Health Rapid Valley Clinic provides primary and urgent care in the community. Hospital-level care is in Rapid City. |
| Recreationdiffers | The municipal pool, with a donor-funded free swim program, and open prairie in every direction. | Rapid Creek, the county parks east of town, and everything the Hills offer half an hour west. |
| The trade | ||
| Housing and patterndiffers | A prairie town with its own K through 12 campus and its own interstate exit, 18 miles from the city. | The region's largest unincorporated community: suburban streets, high ownership, county government. |
| What you gaindiffers | The only town this close to Ellsworth that still educates its own kids from kindergarten through graduation. | Rapid City schools and a five mile commute without Rapid City property taxes, plus a walk-in clinic in the neighborhood. |
| What you give updiffers | You give up the grocery store, the clinic and the hardware store, and you inherit a small municipal water system with a publicly acknowledged supply question. | No city services, a sanitary district bill instead of a city utility bill, and an annexation line that only the parcel record can settle. |
- Prairie and BadlandsNew Underwood
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorRapid Valley
Where it sits
Regiondiffers
- New Underwood
- Prairie and Badlands
- Rapid Valley
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
County
- New Underwood
- Pennington County
- Rapid Valley
- Pennington County
Jurisdictiondiffers
City versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work.- New Underwood
- Incorporated city of New Underwood, with Pennington County outside the limits
- Rapid Valley
- Unincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County is the governing body, and Rapid City's subdivision rules still apply within three miles of the city limits.
Corridordiffers
- New Underwood
- I-90 exit 78
- Rapid Valley
- SD 44 and Elk Vale Road
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers
- New Underwood
- About 18 miles west on I-90Distance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- Rapid Valley
- 11 min, 5.2 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
To Ellsworth AFBdiffers
- New Underwood
- About 11 miles, exit 78 to the main gate at exit 67ADistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- Rapid Valley
- 22 min, 10.4 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
Winter drivingdiffers
- New Underwood
- I-90 is the commute and it is state maintained. Everything off the interstate is county and city plowing on its own schedule, and this is open prairie, so wind moves snow back onto the road.
- Rapid Valley
- Highway 44 and Elk Vale are state and county priorities. Interior subdivision streets are county maintained and clear after the arterials do.
Housing and lots
Typical pricediffers
- New Underwood
- 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.
- Rapid Valley
- 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.
Housing agediffers
- New Underwood
- Older in-town stock with scattered newer building.
- Rapid Valley
- Mostly late twentieth century through current, with active building on the edges.
New constructiondiffers
- New Underwood
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
- Rapid Valley
- Active, with subdivisions still building
Acreagediffers
- New Underwood
- Acreage parcels are common here
- Rapid Valley
- Some acreage, mostly platted town lots
Typical lotdiffers
- New Underwood
- Standard town lots on the grid, with ranch and acreage ground starting where the limits end.
- Rapid Valley
- Suburban lots through the core, larger parcels toward Reservoir and Radar Hill Roads.
Covenants and HOAdiffers
Covenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel.- New Underwood
- Few plats here carry recorded covenants
- Rapid Valley
- Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others
Utilities and rules
Utility patterndiffers
- New Underwood
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- Rapid Valley
- Utility service varies by address. Rapid Valley Sanitary District serves portions of the area, while properties outside district service may use private wells and septic systems.
Waterdiffers
- New Underwood
- City of New Underwood water inside the limits, drawn from two Madison Aquifer wells. Outside the limits, parcels are on small water associations or private wells.
- Rapid Valley
- Rapid Valley Sanitary District, treating Rapid Creek water at its own plant, with the ability to buy treated water from Rapid City at peak demand. Parcels outside the district are on private wells.
Sewerdiffers
- New Underwood
- City sewer inside the limits. Rural parcels are on private septic permitted by Pennington County.
- Rapid Valley
- Rapid Valley Sanitary District owns and maintains the collection system, and Rapid City treats the wastewater under an intergovernmental agreement. Parcels outside the district are on private septic.
Fire protectiondiffers
The responding department and the distance to it both affect an insurance quote.- New Underwood
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Confirm the responding department by address.
- Rapid Valley
- Rapid Valley Volunteer Fire Department, which also provides EMS and wildland response.
Short term rentalsdiffers
- New Underwood
- New Underwood is a highway town rather than a tourism town, and no short-term rental ordinance surfaced in the public record. Confirm with the city before you count on rental income.
- Rapid Valley
- Unincorporated Pennington County has no city short-term rental ordinance to comply with, which is not the same as no rules. County zoning and any subdivision covenants still govern, and state licensing applies.
Schools
School districtdiffers
- New Underwood
- New Underwood School District 51-3Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Rapid Valley
- Mostly Rapid City Area School District 51-4, with portions in Douglas 51-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Daily errands
Groceriesdiffers
- New Underwood
- BJ's Country Store at the exit 78 interchange for fuel and convenience. Full grocery shopping is Rapid City, about 18 miles west.
- Rapid Valley
- Retail and everyday shopping run along Highway 44 on the southern edge, with additional grocery options a few minutes west in Rapid City.
Healthcarediffers
- New Underwood
- No clinic in town. The Monument Health Rapid Valley Clinic on Elderberry Boulevard has walk-in urgent care seven days a week, and the hospital is in Rapid City.
- Rapid Valley
- Monument Health Rapid Valley Clinic provides primary and urgent care in the community. Hospital-level care is in Rapid City.
Recreationdiffers
- New Underwood
- The municipal pool, with a donor-funded free swim program, and open prairie in every direction.
- Rapid Valley
- Rapid Creek, the county parks east of town, and everything the Hills offer half an hour west.
The trade
Housing and patterndiffers
- New Underwood
- A prairie town with its own K through 12 campus and its own interstate exit, 18 miles from the city.
- Rapid Valley
- The region's largest unincorporated community: suburban streets, high ownership, county government.
What you gaindiffers
- New Underwood
- The only town this close to Ellsworth that still educates its own kids from kindergarten through graduation.
- Rapid Valley
- Rapid City schools and a five mile commute without Rapid City property taxes, plus a walk-in clinic in the neighborhood.
What you give updiffers
- New Underwood
- You give up the grocery store, the clinic and the hardware store, and you inherit a small municipal water system with a publicly acknowledged supply question.
- Rapid Valley
- No city services, a sanitary district bill instead of a city utility bill, and an annexation line that only the parcel record can settle.
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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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.