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 $369,900. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of October 2026. 184 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.
4 is the most that fits. Drop one first.Guide- 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 $349,900. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of October 2026. 790 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- Typical price
- About $351,000 average sold, 283 sales over 12 monthsAverage sold $350,670. Black Hills MLS, single family, 12 months through early October 2026, as of October 2026. 283 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.
4 is the most that fits. Drop one first.Guide
Between Summerset, Green Valley, Buffalo Gap, Colonial Pine Hills
The rows below are the ones where these do not read the same. Ordered as the table runs, not by importance.
- Region
- SummersetRapid City and the Ellsworth corridorGreen ValleyRapid City and the Ellsworth corridorBuffalo GapCentral and Southern HillsColonial Pine HillsRapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
- County
- SummersetMeade CountyGreen ValleyPennington CountyBuffalo GapCuster CountyColonial Pine HillsPennington County
- Jurisdiction
- SummersetCity of Summerset, incorporated July 2005Green ValleyUnincorporated. No city government. Pennington County zones the lots and the County Sheriff patrols them.Buffalo GapIncorporated town of Buffalo Gap, with Custer County outside the limits.Colonial Pine HillsUnincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County zones the lots, issues the permits and patrols the roads.
- Corridor
- SummersetI-90Green ValleySD 44Buffalo GapSD 79Colonial Pine HillsUS 16 and Sheridan Lake Road
- To downtown Rapid City
- Summerset15 min, 10.0 miGreen ValleyAbout 6 miles northwestBuffalo GapAbout 45 miles, roughly 56 minutesColonial Pine HillsRoughly 6 miles northeast
- To Ellsworth AFB
- Summerset30 min, 19.2 miGreen ValleyAbout 15 minutes northBuffalo GapAbout 55 milesColonial Pine HillsAbout 25 to 30 minutes, through or around Rapid City
Summerset, Green Valley, Buffalo Gap, Colonial Pine Hills
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 | Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorGreen Valley | Central and Southern HillsBuffalo Gap | Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorColonial Pine Hills | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | ||||
| Regiondiffers | Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor | Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor | Central and Southern Hills | Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor |
| Countydiffers | Meade County | Pennington County | Custer County | Pennington County |
| JurisdictiondiffersCity versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work. | City of Summerset, incorporated July 2005 | Unincorporated. No city government. Pennington County zones the lots and the County Sheriff patrols them. | Incorporated town of Buffalo Gap, with Custer County outside the limits. | Unincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County zones the lots, issues the permits and patrols the roads. |
| Corridordiffers | I-90 | SD 44 | SD 79 | US 16 and Sheridan Lake Road |
| To downtown Rapid Citydiffers | 15 min, 10.0 miDriving 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 45 miles, roughly 56 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak. | Roughly 6 miles northeastDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel. |
| To Ellsworth AFBdiffers | 30 min, 19.2 miDriving time and distance, off peak. | About 15 minutes northDriving time and distance, off peak. | About 55 milesDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel. | About 25 to 30 minutes, through or around Rapid CityDriving time and distance, off peak. |
| Winter drivingdiffers | The commute is I-90, so winter driving here is interstate driving rather than a two lane canyon road. | Highway 44 is a state priority. Everything off it is county, and open prairie means blowing snow reclaims a cleared road quickly. | Highway 79 is state maintained and is the connection to Hot Springs and Rapid City. Off it, this is open prairie with blowing snow. | You are 900 feet above Rapid City on grades, and some subdivision roads are privately plowed. Snow tires are not a luxury item up here. |
| Housing and lots | ||||
| Typical pricediffers | Median sold $445,000Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of October 2026. 53 closed sales. | No published median exists for the community. Closed sales on the specific street are the only figure worth quoting here. | One single family sale shows in the Black Hills MLS over 24 months, at $80,000. One closing is a sample of one rather than a price level, so read it that way. | About $702,000 average sold in the Sheridan Lake Road MLS area, 83 sales over 12 monthsAverage sold $701,678. Black Hills MLS, single family, 12 months through early October 2026, as of October 2026. 83 closed sales. |
| Housing agediffers | Mostly 2000s to present | Mostly late twentieth century through current. | An 1885 to 1939 historic core with an aging housing stock and about a fifth of units vacant. | Platted over several decades, so 1970s cabins and current builds sit on the same road. |
| New constructiondiffers | Limited, mostly infill and small projects | Limited, mostly infill and small projects | None underway | Limited, mostly infill and small projects |
| Acreagediffers | Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot size. | Some acreage, mostly platted town lots | Acreage parcels are common here | Acreage parcels are common here |
| Typical lotdiffers | Wide lots on new streets | Generous by city standards, with larger parcels toward Radar Hill and Reservoir Road. | A handful of historic townsite lots, with grassland and ranch ground around them. | Large by Rapid City standards, from generous lots to several acres. |
| Covenants and HOAdiffersCovenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel. | Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others | Few plats here carry recorded covenants | Few plats here carry recorded covenants | Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others |
| Utilities and rules | ||||
| Utility patterndiffers | Sewer collection is provided by the City of Summerset. Water service varies by address and can include Black Hawk Water User District or Diamond D Water in Sun Valley. | Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it | Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it | Mostly private well and septic |
| Waterdiffers | Black Hawk Water User District, or Diamond D Water in Sun 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. | Town of Buffalo Gap municipal water from a single well, serving about 93 connections. Rural parcels are on private wells. | Depends entirely on the parcel. The Colonial Pine Hills Sanitary District serves roughly 430 connections. Several separate water associations serve other pockets, and the rest of the area is on private wells. |
| Sewerdiffers | City of Summerset | District sewer where the district reaches, private septic where it does not. Confirm per parcel. | Not documented in the public record. There is no municipal wastewater project or discharge permit on file that I could find. Confirm with the town finance officer before assuming either town sewer or septic. | Private on-site septic throughout, permitted by Pennington County. There is no municipal sewer and no lagoon serving the area. |
| Short term rentalsdiffers | The thinnest rules on this list, which means a rental plan has to be pinned down for the specific address. | 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 hunting and grassland country rather than a tourism corridor. Demand is seasonal and specific. | This is unincorporated county, so there is no municipal short-term rental ordinance. County zoning and subdivision covenants are what govern, and the covenants out here are often stricter than the county. |
| Schools | ||||
| School districtdiffers | Meade 46-1 and Rapid City Area Schools 51-4, split within the cityAssignment 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. | Hot Springs School District 23-2, despite the town being in Custer CountyAssignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. | Rapid City Area School District 51-4Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. |
| Daily errands | ||||
| Groceriesdiffers | Not recorded in this guide. Check what is open near the address. | The Highway 44 corridor and east Rapid City, a few minutes northwest. | Nothing full service in town. Hot Springs, about 14 miles south, is where errands happen. | Everything is in Rapid City, roughly fifteen minutes down US 16. |
| Healthcarediffers | Hospital-level care is in Rapid City, about 15 minutes south. | The Monument Health Rapid Valley Clinic on Elderberry Boulevard for walk-in care, with the hospital in Rapid City. | Fall River Health Services in Hot Springs, a 25 bed critical access hospital with a 24 hour emergency department and a rural health clinic, about 18 minutes away. | No clinic up here. Monument Health Rapid City Hospital and the Rapid City clinics are the answer. |
| Recreationdiffers | Leisure Lane, Steamboat and Castlewood parks are the everyday recreation. Leisure Lane is the big one, with playgrounds, basketball, picnic shelters, open grass and the community garden. | Open prairie, the county land east of town, and the whole Black Hills half an hour the other direction. | Buffalo Gap National Grassland, hunting, rock collecting and OHV country, with the Cheyenne River nearby. | Sheridan Lake, Pactola, the Mickelson Trail and the whole central Hills network start where the subdivisions end. |
| Mapped subdivisions | ||||
| Outlines on filediffers | 2 mapped outlines, 2 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. | No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet. | No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet. |
| The trade | ||||
| Housing and patterndiffers | New streets and builder inventory, with Highlands at Norman Ranch adding over 100 first phase homesites across more than 300 acres. | Flat prairie subdivisions east of the city, growing steadily, on county rules. | A nearly intact turn-of-the-century western streetscape on the National Register, mostly quiet, at the gate to the grassland. | Ponderosa pine subdivisions platted over decades, no two alike, on county rules six miles from the city. |
| What you gaindiffers | Newer houses on city sewer with Hills views at a price central Rapid City does not offer, and Highlands at Norman Ranch is still selling first phase homesites. | More ground for the money six miles from Rapid City, with Ellsworth fifteen minutes north. | Eighteen minutes from the hospital in Hot Springs, with 600,000 acres of grassland out the door and one MLS closing in two years to price from. | Hills elevation, trees and lot size with a Rapid City commute and Rapid City schools. |
| What you give updiffers | You are fifteen minutes out from most of Rapid City's services and you drive I-90 to get to them in the winter. The city is also split between Meade 46-1 and Rapid City Area Schools 51-4, so the district follows the address. | A school district line that runs through the community, and a water arrangement that changes street to street. | No school, no store and no services in town, an aging water system with an open compliance item, and an undocumented sewer situation. | Well or association water, septic on every parcel, private roads in places, and wildfire exposure that affects insurance. |
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorGreen Valley
- Central and Southern HillsBuffalo Gap
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorColonial Pine Hills
Where it sits
Regiondiffers
- Summerset
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
- Green Valley
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
- Buffalo Gap
- Central and Southern Hills
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
Countydiffers
- Summerset
- Meade County
- Green Valley
- Pennington County
- Buffalo Gap
- Custer County
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Pennington County
Jurisdictiondiffers
City versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work.- Summerset
- City of Summerset, incorporated July 2005
- Green Valley
- Unincorporated. No city government. Pennington County zones the lots and the County Sheriff patrols them.
- Buffalo Gap
- Incorporated town of Buffalo Gap, with Custer County outside the limits.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Unincorporated. There is no city government. Pennington County zones the lots, issues the permits and patrols the roads.
Corridordiffers
- Summerset
- I-90
- Green Valley
- SD 44
- Buffalo Gap
- SD 79
- Colonial Pine Hills
- US 16 and Sheridan Lake Road
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers
- Summerset
- 15 min, 10.0 miDriving 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.
- Buffalo Gap
- About 45 miles, roughly 56 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Roughly 6 miles northeastDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
To Ellsworth AFBdiffers
- Summerset
- 30 min, 19.2 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Green Valley
- About 15 minutes northDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Buffalo Gap
- About 55 milesDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- About 25 to 30 minutes, through or around Rapid CityDriving time and distance, off peak.
Winter drivingdiffers
- Summerset
- The commute is I-90, so winter driving here is interstate driving rather than a two lane canyon road.
- Green Valley
- Highway 44 is a state priority. Everything off it is county, and open prairie means blowing snow reclaims a cleared road quickly.
- Buffalo Gap
- Highway 79 is state maintained and is the connection to Hot Springs and Rapid City. Off it, this is open prairie with blowing snow.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- You are 900 feet above Rapid City on grades, and some subdivision roads are privately plowed. Snow tires are not a luxury item up here.
Housing and lots
Typical pricediffers
- Summerset
- Median sold $445,000Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of October 2026. 53 closed sales.
- Green Valley
- No published median exists for the community. Closed sales on the specific street are the only figure worth quoting here.
- Buffalo Gap
- One single family sale shows in the Black Hills MLS over 24 months, at $80,000. One closing is a sample of one rather than a price level, so read it that way.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- About $702,000 average sold in the Sheridan Lake Road MLS area, 83 sales over 12 monthsAverage sold $701,678. Black Hills MLS, single family, 12 months through early October 2026, as of October 2026. 83 closed sales.
Housing agediffers
- Summerset
- Mostly 2000s to present
- Green Valley
- Mostly late twentieth century through current.
- Buffalo Gap
- An 1885 to 1939 historic core with an aging housing stock and about a fifth of units vacant.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Platted over several decades, so 1970s cabins and current builds sit on the same road.
New constructiondiffers
- Summerset
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
- Green Valley
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
- Buffalo Gap
- None underway
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Acreagediffers
- Summerset
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot size.
- Green Valley
- Some acreage, mostly platted town lots
- Buffalo Gap
- Acreage parcels are common here
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Acreage parcels are common here
Typical lotdiffers
- Summerset
- Wide lots on new streets
- Green Valley
- Generous by city standards, with larger parcels toward Radar Hill and Reservoir Road.
- Buffalo Gap
- A handful of historic townsite lots, with grassland and ranch ground around them.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Large by Rapid City standards, from generous lots to several acres.
Covenants and HOAdiffers
Covenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel.- Summerset
- Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others
- Green Valley
- Few plats here carry recorded covenants
- Buffalo Gap
- Few plats here carry recorded covenants
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others
Utilities and rules
Utility patterndiffers
- Summerset
- Sewer collection is provided by the City of Summerset. Water service varies by address and can include Black Hawk Water User District or Diamond D Water in Sun Valley.
- Green Valley
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- Buffalo Gap
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Mostly private well and septic
Waterdiffers
- Summerset
- Black Hawk Water User District, or Diamond D Water in Sun Valley
- 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.
- Buffalo Gap
- Town of Buffalo Gap municipal water from a single well, serving about 93 connections. Rural parcels are on private wells.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Depends entirely on the parcel. The Colonial Pine Hills Sanitary District serves roughly 430 connections. Several separate water associations serve other pockets, and the rest of the area is on private wells.
Sewerdiffers
- Summerset
- City of Summerset
- Green Valley
- District sewer where the district reaches, private septic where it does not. Confirm per parcel.
- Buffalo Gap
- Not documented in the public record. There is no municipal wastewater project or discharge permit on file that I could find. Confirm with the town finance officer before assuming either town sewer or septic.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Private on-site septic throughout, permitted by Pennington County. There is no municipal sewer and no lagoon serving the area.
Short term rentalsdiffers
- Summerset
- The thinnest rules on this list, which means a rental plan has to be pinned down for the specific address.
- 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.
- Buffalo Gap
- This is hunting and grassland country rather than a tourism corridor. Demand is seasonal and specific.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- This is unincorporated county, so there is no municipal short-term rental ordinance. County zoning and subdivision covenants are what govern, and the covenants out here are often stricter than the county.
Schools
School districtdiffers
- Summerset
- Meade 46-1 and Rapid City Area Schools 51-4, split within the cityAssignment 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.
- Buffalo Gap
- Hot Springs School District 23-2, despite the town being in Custer CountyAssignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Rapid City Area School District 51-4Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Daily errands
Groceriesdiffers
- Summerset
- Not recorded in this guide. Check what is open near the address.
- Green Valley
- The Highway 44 corridor and east Rapid City, a few minutes northwest.
- Buffalo Gap
- Nothing full service in town. Hot Springs, about 14 miles south, is where errands happen.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Everything is in Rapid City, roughly fifteen minutes down US 16.
Healthcarediffers
- Summerset
- Hospital-level care is in Rapid City, about 15 minutes south.
- Green Valley
- The Monument Health Rapid Valley Clinic on Elderberry Boulevard for walk-in care, with the hospital in Rapid City.
- Buffalo Gap
- Fall River Health Services in Hot Springs, a 25 bed critical access hospital with a 24 hour emergency department and a rural health clinic, about 18 minutes away.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- No clinic up here. Monument Health Rapid City Hospital and the Rapid City clinics are the answer.
Recreationdiffers
- Summerset
- Leisure Lane, Steamboat and Castlewood parks are the everyday recreation. Leisure Lane is the big one, with playgrounds, basketball, picnic shelters, open grass and the community garden.
- Green Valley
- Open prairie, the county land east of town, and the whole Black Hills half an hour the other direction.
- Buffalo Gap
- Buffalo Gap National Grassland, hunting, rock collecting and OHV country, with the Cheyenne River nearby.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Sheridan Lake, Pactola, the Mickelson Trail and the whole central Hills network start where the subdivisions end.
Mapped subdivisions
Outlines on filediffers
- Summerset
- 2 mapped outlines, 2 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls.
- Green Valley
- No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.
- Buffalo Gap
- No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.
The trade
Housing and patterndiffers
- Summerset
- New streets and builder inventory, with Highlands at Norman Ranch adding over 100 first phase homesites across more than 300 acres.
- Green Valley
- Flat prairie subdivisions east of the city, growing steadily, on county rules.
- Buffalo Gap
- A nearly intact turn-of-the-century western streetscape on the National Register, mostly quiet, at the gate to the grassland.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Ponderosa pine subdivisions platted over decades, no two alike, on county rules six miles from the city.
What you gaindiffers
- Summerset
- Newer houses on city sewer with Hills views at a price central Rapid City does not offer, and Highlands at Norman Ranch is still selling first phase homesites.
- Green Valley
- More ground for the money six miles from Rapid City, with Ellsworth fifteen minutes north.
- Buffalo Gap
- Eighteen minutes from the hospital in Hot Springs, with 600,000 acres of grassland out the door and one MLS closing in two years to price from.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Hills elevation, trees and lot size with a Rapid City commute and Rapid City schools.
What you give updiffers
- Summerset
- You are fifteen minutes out from most of Rapid City's services and you drive I-90 to get to them in the winter. The city is also split between Meade 46-1 and Rapid City Area Schools 51-4, so the district follows the address.
- Green Valley
- A school district line that runs through the community, and a water arrangement that changes street to street.
- Buffalo Gap
- No school, no store and no services in town, an aging water system with an open compliance item, and an undocumented sewer situation.
- Colonial Pine Hills
- Well or association water, septic on every parcel, private roads in places, and wildfire exposure that affects insurance.
Commute figures are driving times off peak, from the community guide each card links to. Median sold prices come from the MLS, and each figure carries its own source, window and closing count, because Sturgis, Spearfish and the northern hills report through a different MLS than Rapid City. Under five closings there is no median, and the price row says so. Five to nine closings carries a small sample note. School districts follow the official boundary for the address, and the district office is the only place to confirm an assignment. Short term rental lines are summaries. Read the guide and the current ordinance before you count on rental income.
The filters use these definitions: under $400k is the MLS sold figure for the town, a median where one is published and otherwise the average sold, comes in under $400,000; close to ellsworth is 25 minutes or less to the Ellsworth main gate; close to rapid city is 20 minutes or less to downtown Rapid City; short commute is 15 minutes or less to either downtown Rapid City or the Ellsworth gate; new construction available is the guide establishes active or limited new construction; acreage available is acreage is common or present in the guide; city water and sewer is city water and sewer across the community; smaller market is fewer than 100 closed single family sales in the trailing twelve months; more rural is acreage is common, or water and sewer are not municipal throughout; established housing is the guide classifies the housing stock as established, meaning largely pre 2000; newer housing is the guide classifies a meaningful share of the housing stock as 2000s or later.
Every row here is a townwide summary and a single parcel can read differently. Buyer due diligence should include verifying water and sewer service, school assignment, recorded covenants and HOA obligations, rental rules, legal access, insurance availability and which jurisdiction inspects and permits the work, for the exact address. Confirm with the city or county, the utility or district, the school district office, the title company and your insurer as applicable.
Last updated August 2026
Want to talk through the tradeoffs?
Two towns can look identical in a table and feel nothing alike on a Tuesday night in February. Call or text and tell me which rows above are the ones you cannot live with, and we can work the list down from there.
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Send the address and we can talk it through. The details that change from one property to the next are jurisdiction, water and sewer, the school the district assigns, covenants, road maintenance and the rest of what never shows up on a listing.
