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.

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The five facts that decide a shortlist

Find a community

Selected, 4 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.

Colonial Pine Hills
Typical price
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.
To Ellsworth AFB
About 25 to 30 minutes, through or around Rapid CityDriving time and distance, off peak.
To downtown Rapid City
Roughly 6 miles northeastDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
Utility pattern
Mostly private well and septic
School district
Rapid City Area School District 51-4Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
4 is the most that fits. Drop one first.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.

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.
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.

Custer
Typical price
Median sold $627,000Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 7 closed sales, small sample.
To Ellsworth AFB
About an hour and ten minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
To downtown Rapid City
About 50 to 60 minutesDriving 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
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.
4 is the most that fits. Drop one first.Guide
Hermosa
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
Hill City
Typical price
Median sold $519,000Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 13 closed sales.
To Ellsworth AFB
About 45 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
To downtown Rapid City
About 30 to 35 minutes on US-16Driving time and distance, off peak.
Utility pattern
Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify water and sewer service for the address.
School district
Hill City School District 51-2Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Selected 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.
4 is the most that fits. Drop one first.Guide
Keystone
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.

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.
Selected 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.
4 is the most that fits. Drop one first.Guide

What changes

Between New Underwood, St. Onge, Box Elder, Hill City

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 BadlandsSt. OngeNorthern Hills and I-90Box ElderRapid City and the Ellsworth corridorHill CityCentral and Southern Hills
County: New UnderwoodPennington CountySt. OngeLawrence CountyBox ElderPennington CountyHill CityPennington County
Jurisdiction: New UnderwoodIncorporated city of New Underwood, with Pennington County outside the limitsSt. OngeUnincorporated. No town government. Lawrence County zones the parcels and the Sheriff patrols them.Box ElderCity of Box ElderHill CityNot recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.
Corridor: New UnderwoodI-90 exit 78St. OngeSD 34, with I-90 seven miles southeast at WhitewoodBox ElderI-90Hill CityUS-16
To downtown Rapid City: New UnderwoodAbout 18 miles west on I-90St. OngeAbout 44 miles, roughly 48 minutesBox Elder19 min, 10.9 miHill CityAbout 30 to 35 minutes on US-16
To Ellsworth AFB: New UnderwoodAbout 11 miles, exit 78 to the main gate at exit 67ASt. OngeAbout 45 milesBox Elder9 min, 2.3 miHill CityAbout 45 minutes

Side by side

New Underwood, St. Onge, Box Elder, Hill City

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	Prairie and BadlandsNew Underwood	Northern Hills and I-90St. Onge	Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorBox Elder	Central and Southern HillsHill City
Where it sits
Regiondiffers	Prairie and Badlands	Northern Hills and I-90	Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor	Central and Southern Hills
Countydiffers	Pennington County	Lawrence 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. No town government. Lawrence County zones the parcels and the Sheriff patrols them.	City of Box Elder	Not recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.
Corridordiffers	I-90 exit 78	SD 34, with I-90 seven miles southeast at Whitewood	I-90	US-16
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.	About 44 miles, roughly 48 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.	19 min, 10.9 miDriving time and distance, off peak.	About 30 to 35 minutes on US-16Driving 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.	About 45 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 45 minutesDriving 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 34 is state maintained and connects three directions. County and private roads off it are a different conversation.	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.	US-16 is state maintained. The forest roads off it climb, and elevation adds snow to whatever falls in town.
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.	No figure published. St. Onge is Mount Rushmore Area MLS territory and the current feed covers only the Black Hills MLS, so a zero here would be a gap in the data rather than a fact about the market.	$340k to $400kMedian sold $367,000. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 235 closed sales.	Median sold $519,000Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 13 closed sales.
Housing agediffers	Older in-town stock with scattered newer building.	An 1891 townsite with genuinely old buildings, surrounded by ranch and acreage property of every era.	Heavily new construction since the B-21 announcement	Mixed ages. Older homes near the core, newer construction toward the edges.
New constructiondiffers	Limited, mostly infill and small projects	Limited, mostly infill and small projects	Active, with subdivisions still building	Limited infill and small-scale new construction occur around Hill City rather than large production neighborhoods.
Acreagediffers	Acreage parcels are common here	Acreage parcels are common here	Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot size.	Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot size.
Typical lotdiffers	Standard town lots on the grid, with ranch and acreage ground starting where the limits end.	Small townsite lots, with acreage and ranch ground around them.	Small city lots, about 0.15 to 0.18 acres in the newer plats	Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot dimensions.
Covenants and HOAdiffersCovenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel.	Few plats here carry recorded covenants	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.
Utilities and rules
Utility patterndiffers	Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it	Mostly private well and septic	City water and sewer inside the limits	Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify water and sewer service for the address.
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.	The Saint Onge Sewer and Water Company serves about 78 connections around the townsite, with a clean compliance record. Parcels outside that system are on private wells. There is no rural water district covering this area.	City of Box Elder municipal	Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify the provider for the address.
Sewerdiffers	City sewer inside the limits. Rural parcels are on private septic permitted by Pennington County.	The water company's name implies sewer service, but I have not been able to verify from the public record which parcels it reaches. Assume private septic outside the townsite and confirm the rest before closing.	City of Box Elder municipal	Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify the service for the address.
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 Lawrence County, so no municipal ordinance applies. Note that unincorporated Lawrence County declined to require a vacation home rental permit, so there is no county permit to obtain either.	A verify first town for rental plans, with one specific misconception the guide clears up.	Existing short term rental rights in residential zones do not transfer when a property sells. That is the trap.
Schools
School districtdiffers	New Underwood School District 51-3Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.	Spearfish 40-2 at the townsite, with Belle Fourche 09-1 to the north and Meade 46-1 to the east. Parcel specific.Assignment 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.	Hill City School District 51-2Assignment 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.	Nothing in town. Spearfish is eleven miles southeast and Belle Fourche thirteen northwest.	Lynn's Dakotamart is a full-service grocery store in town.	Krull's Market is a full-service grocery store in town.
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 Spearfish Hospital, a 35 bed facility with a 24 hour emergency department, about 18 minutes away.	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 Hill City. Hospital-level care is in Rapid City, roughly 30 to 35 minutes away in clear conditions.
Recreationdiffers	The municipal pool, with a donor-funded free swim program, and open prairie in every direction.	Creek bottoms, hay ground and hunting country, with Spearfish Canyon and the northern Hills half an hour away.	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 1880 Train departs downtown, Crazy Horse Memorial is about 12 miles away, and Stone Faces Winery and Naked Winery are close.
Mapped subdivisions
Outlines on filediffers	No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.	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.
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.	An 1891 French-Canadian railroad townsite that is now a cattle auction crossroads and an acreage corridor.	A young city building its first downtown at Liberty Plaza on 110 acres, with roughly 800 residential units planned.	A small mountain main street that triples every summer and empties out by October, with the 1880 Train leaving from downtown.
What you gaindiffers	The only town this close to Ellsworth that still educates its own kids from kindergarten through graduation.	The cheapest ground in the northern Hills that still puts you eleven miles from a hospital and sixteen from three towns.	The Ellsworth main gate is in town, 9 minutes from most addresses, on city water and sewer, with the region's newest housing pipeline.	Main Street in the middle of the central hills, the Mickelson Trail through town, Sylvan Lake and Crazy Horse a short drive, and 30 to 35 minutes to Rapid City on US-16.
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.	A three-way school district split you have to verify per parcel, and no services of any kind in town.	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.	Rental rights do not survive a sale, and only 13 homes closed here in twelve months, so pricing rests on a small sample.

Prairie and BadlandsNew Underwood
Northern Hills and I-90St. Onge
Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorBox Elder
Central and Southern HillsHill City

Where it sits

Regiondiffers

New Underwood: Prairie and Badlands
St. Onge: Northern Hills and I-90
Box Elder: Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
Hill City: Central and Southern Hills

Countydiffers

New Underwood: Pennington County
St. Onge: Lawrence County
Box Elder: Pennington County
Hill City: 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
St. Onge: Unincorporated. No town government. Lawrence County zones the parcels and the Sheriff patrols them.
Box Elder: City of Box Elder
Hill City: Not recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.

Corridordiffers

New Underwood: I-90 exit 78
St. Onge: SD 34, with I-90 seven miles southeast at Whitewood
Box Elder: I-90
Hill City: US-16

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.
St. Onge: About 44 miles, roughly 48 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
Box Elder: 19 min, 10.9 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
Hill City: About 30 to 35 minutes on US-16Driving 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.
St. Onge: About 45 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.
Hill City: About 45 minutesDriving 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.
St. Onge: Highway 34 is state maintained and connects three directions. County and private roads off it are a different conversation.
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.
Hill City: US-16 is state maintained. The forest roads off it climb, and elevation adds snow to whatever falls in town.

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.
St. Onge: No figure published. St. Onge is Mount Rushmore Area MLS territory and the current feed covers only the Black Hills MLS, so a zero here would be a gap in the data rather than a fact about the market.
Box Elder: $340k to $400kMedian sold $367,000. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 235 closed sales.
Hill City: Median sold $519,000Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 13 closed sales.

Housing agediffers

New Underwood: Older in-town stock with scattered newer building.
St. Onge: An 1891 townsite with genuinely old buildings, surrounded by ranch and acreage property of every era.
Box Elder: Heavily new construction since the B-21 announcement
Hill City: Mixed ages. Older homes near the core, newer construction toward the edges.

New constructiondiffers

New Underwood: Limited, mostly infill and small projects
St. Onge: Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Box Elder: Active, with subdivisions still building
Hill City: Limited infill and small-scale new construction occur around Hill City rather than large production neighborhoods.

Acreagediffers

New Underwood: Acreage parcels are common here
St. Onge: Acreage parcels are common here
Box Elder: Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot size.
Hill City: Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot size.

Typical lotdiffers

New Underwood: Standard town lots on the grid, with ranch and acreage ground starting where the limits end.
St. Onge: Small townsite lots, with acreage and ranch ground around them.
Box Elder: Small city lots, about 0.15 to 0.18 acres in the newer plats
Hill City: Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot dimensions.

Covenants and HOAdiffers

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

New Underwood: Few plats here carry recorded covenants
St. Onge: Few plats here carry recorded covenants
Box Elder: Not recorded townwide in this guide. Read the recorded documents for the plat.
Hill City: Not recorded townwide in this guide. Read the recorded documents for the plat.

Utilities and rules

Utility patterndiffers

New Underwood: Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
St. Onge: Mostly private well and septic
Box Elder: City water and sewer inside the limits
Hill City: Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify water and sewer service for the address.

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.
St. Onge: The Saint Onge Sewer and Water Company serves about 78 connections around the townsite, with a clean compliance record. Parcels outside that system are on private wells. There is no rural water district covering this area.
Box Elder: City of Box Elder municipal
Hill City: Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify the provider for the address.

Sewerdiffers

New Underwood: City sewer inside the limits. Rural parcels are on private septic permitted by Pennington County.
St. Onge: The water company's name implies sewer service, but I have not been able to verify from the public record which parcels it reaches. Assume private septic outside the townsite and confirm the rest before closing.
Box Elder: City of Box Elder municipal
Hill City: Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify the service for the address.

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.
St. Onge: Unincorporated Lawrence County, so no municipal ordinance applies. Note that unincorporated Lawrence County declined to require a vacation home rental permit, so there is no county permit to obtain either.
Box Elder: A verify first town for rental plans, with one specific misconception the guide clears up.
Hill City: Existing short term rental rights in residential zones do not transfer when a property sells. That is the trap.

Schools

School districtdiffers

New Underwood: New Underwood School District 51-3Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
St. Onge: Spearfish 40-2 at the townsite, with Belle Fourche 09-1 to the north and Meade 46-1 to the east. Parcel specific.Assignment 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.
Hill City: Hill City School District 51-2Assignment 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.
St. Onge: Nothing in town. Spearfish is eleven miles southeast and Belle Fourche thirteen northwest.
Box Elder: Lynn's Dakotamart is a full-service grocery store in town.
Hill City: Krull's Market is a full-service grocery store in town.

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.
St. Onge: Monument Health Spearfish Hospital, a 35 bed facility with a 24 hour emergency department, about 18 minutes away.
Box Elder: Monument Health Box Elder Clinic provides primary and urgent care in town. Hospital-level care is in Rapid City.
Hill City: Monument Health has a clinic in Hill City. Hospital-level care is in Rapid City, roughly 30 to 35 minutes away in clear conditions.

Recreationdiffers

New Underwood: The municipal pool, with a donor-funded free swim program, and open prairie in every direction.
St. Onge: Creek bottoms, hay ground and hunting country, with Spearfish Canyon and the northern Hills half an hour away.
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.
Hill City: The 1880 Train departs downtown, Crazy Horse Memorial is about 12 miles away, and Stone Faces Winery and Naked Winery are close.

Mapped subdivisions

Outlines on filediffers

New Underwood: No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.
St. Onge: 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.
Hill City: No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.

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.
St. Onge: An 1891 French-Canadian railroad townsite that is now a cattle auction crossroads and an acreage corridor.
Box Elder: A young city building its first downtown at Liberty Plaza on 110 acres, with roughly 800 residential units planned.
Hill City: A small mountain main street that triples every summer and empties out by October, with the 1880 Train leaving from downtown.

What you gaindiffers

New Underwood: The only town this close to Ellsworth that still educates its own kids from kindergarten through graduation.
St. Onge: The cheapest ground in the northern Hills that still puts you eleven miles from a hospital and sixteen from three towns.
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.
Hill City: Main Street in the middle of the central hills, the Mickelson Trail through town, Sylvan Lake and Crazy Horse a short drive, and 30 to 35 minutes to Rapid City on US-16.

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.
St. Onge: A three-way school district split you have to verify per parcel, and no services of any kind in town.
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.
Hill City: Rental rights do not survive a sale, and only 13 homes closed here in twelve months, so pricing rests on a small sample.

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.

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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.

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ComparingNew Underwood, St. Onge, Box Elder, Hill City

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