Henry Roy Real Estate, Ascend Realty, Rapid City South Dakota
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.

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1 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.

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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
    $300k to $450kMedian sold $349,950. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 706 closed sales.
    To Ellsworth AFB
    24 min, 13.8 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
    To downtown Rapid City
    5 min, 1.5 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
    Utility pattern
    City water and sewer inside the limits
    School district
    Rapid City Area Schools 51-4Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
    4 is the most that fits. Drop one first.Guide
What changes

Between St. Onge, Box Elder, Rapid Valley, Black Hawk

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

Region
St. OngeNorthern Hills and I-90Box ElderRapid City and the Ellsworth corridorRapid ValleyRapid City and the Ellsworth corridorBlack HawkRapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
County
St. OngeLawrence CountyBox ElderPennington CountyRapid ValleyPennington CountyBlack HawkMeade County
Jurisdiction
St. OngeUnincorporated. No town government. Lawrence County zones the parcels and the Sheriff patrols them.Box ElderCity of Box ElderRapid 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.Black HawkUnincorporated Meade County
Corridor
St. OngeSD 34, with I-90 seven miles southeast at WhitewoodBox ElderI-90Rapid ValleySD 44 and Elk Vale RoadBlack HawkI-90
To downtown Rapid City
St. OngeAbout 44 miles, roughly 48 minutesBox Elder19 min, 10.9 miRapid Valley11 min, 5.2 miBlack HawkAbout 12 to 15 minutes
To Ellsworth AFB
St. OngeAbout 45 milesBox Elder9 min, 2.3 miRapid Valley22 min, 10.4 miBlack HawkAbout 30 minutes, the same I-90 run as Summerset just north
Side by side

St. Onge, Box Elder, Rapid Valley, 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.

Where it sits

Regiondiffers

St. Onge
Northern Hills and I-90
Box Elder
Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
Rapid Valley
Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
Black Hawk
Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor

Countydiffers

St. Onge
Lawrence County
Box Elder
Pennington County
Rapid Valley
Pennington County
Black Hawk
Meade County

Jurisdictiondiffers

City versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work.
St. Onge
Unincorporated. No town government. Lawrence County zones the parcels and the Sheriff patrols them.
Box Elder
City of Box Elder
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.
Black Hawk
Unincorporated Meade County

Corridordiffers

St. Onge
SD 34, with I-90 seven miles southeast at Whitewood
Box Elder
I-90
Rapid Valley
SD 44 and Elk Vale Road
Black Hawk
I-90

To downtown Rapid Citydiffers

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.
Rapid Valley
11 min, 5.2 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
Black Hawk
About 12 to 15 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.

To Ellsworth AFBdiffers

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.
Rapid Valley
22 min, 10.4 miDriving 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

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.
Rapid Valley
Highway 44 and Elk Vale are state and county priorities. Interior subdivision streets are county maintained and clear after the arterials do.
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

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.
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.
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

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
Rapid Valley
Mostly late twentieth century through current, with active building on the edges.
Black Hawk
Mixed street to street, sometimes neighbor to neighbor

New constructiondiffers

St. Onge
Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Box Elder
Active, with subdivisions still building
Rapid Valley
Active, with subdivisions still building
Black Hawk
Limited, mostly infill and small projects

Acreagediffers

St. Onge
Acreage parcels are common here
Box Elder
Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot size.
Rapid Valley
Some acreage, mostly platted town lots
Black Hawk
Larger lots and acre properties are part of the Black Hawk market, including properties with room for shops and outbuildings.

Typical lotdiffers

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
Rapid Valley
Suburban lots through the core, larger parcels toward Reservoir and Radar Hill Roads.
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.
St. Onge
Few plats here carry recorded covenants
Box Elder
Not recorded townwide in this guide. Read the recorded documents for the plat.
Rapid Valley
Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others
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

St. Onge
Mostly private well and septic
Box Elder
City water and sewer inside the limits
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.
Black Hawk
Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it

Waterdiffers

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
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.
Black Hawk
Black Hawk Water User District

Sewerdiffers

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
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.
Black Hawk
Black Hawk Sanitary District serves roughly 200 homes and businesses; properties outside the district are on private septic

Fire protectiondiffers

The responding department and the distance to it both affect an insurance quote.
St. Onge
Not recorded townwide in this guide. Confirm the responding department by address.
Box Elder
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.
Black Hawk
Not recorded townwide in this guide. Confirm the responding department by address.

Short term rentalsdiffers

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.
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.
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

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.
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.
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

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.
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.
Black Hawk
No full-service grocery store is in Black Hawk. Most larger grocery trips go into Rapid City.

Healthcarediffers

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.
Rapid Valley
Monument Health Rapid Valley Clinic provides primary and urgent care in the community. Hospital-level care is in Rapid City.
Black Hawk
Monument Health Rapid City Hospital

Recreationdiffers

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.
Rapid Valley
Rapid Creek, the county parks east of town, and everything the Hills offer half an hour west.
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

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.
Rapid Valley
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

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.
Rapid Valley
The region's largest unincorporated community: suburban streets, high ownership, county government.
Black Hawk
Unincorporated foothills pockets where lot size, home age and outbuildings change from one parcel to the next.

What you gaindiffers

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.
Rapid Valley
Rapid City schools and a five mile commute without Rapid City property taxes, plus a walk-in clinic in the neighborhood.
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

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.
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.
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.
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

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ComparingSt. Onge, Box Elder, Rapid Valley, Black Hawk

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