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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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

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Selected, 3 of 4

Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor

Everything within about twenty five minutes of downtown Rapid City or the Ellsworth main gate, where most of the newer inventory, the shortest commutes and the jurisdiction questions about city versus county service are.

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

What changes

Between Summerset, Rapid City, Edgemont

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 corridorRapid CityRapid City and the Ellsworth corridorEdgemontCentral and Southern Hills
County: SummersetMeade CountyRapid CityPennington CountyEdgemontFall River County
Jurisdiction: SummersetCity of Summerset, incorporated July 2005Rapid CityCity of Rapid CityEdgemontIncorporated city of Edgemont, with Fall River County outside the limits.
Corridor: SummersetI-90Rapid CityI-90 along the north edgeEdgemontUS 18 and SD 471
To downtown Rapid City: Summerset15 min, 10.0 miRapid City5 min, 1.5 miEdgemontAbout 100 miles northeast
To Ellsworth AFB: Summerset30 min, 19.2 miRapid City24 min, 13.8 miEdgemontAbout 110 miles

Side by side

Summerset, Rapid City, Edgemont

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	Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorSummerset	Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorRapid City	Central and Southern HillsEdgemont
Where it sits
Regiondiffers	Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor	Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor	Central and Southern Hills
Countydiffers	Meade County	Pennington County	Fall River County
JurisdictiondiffersCity versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work.	City of Summerset, incorporated July 2005	City of Rapid City	Incorporated city of Edgemont, with Fall River County outside the limits.
Corridordiffers	I-90	I-90 along the north edge	US 18 and SD 471
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers	15 min, 10.0 miDriving time and distance, off peak.	5 min, 1.5 miDriving time and distance, off peak.	About 100 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.	24 min, 13.8 miDriving time and distance, off peak.	About 110 milesDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
Winter drivingdiffers	The commute is I-90, so winter driving here is interstate driving rather than a two lane canyon road.	April is the snowiest month at 10.1 inches on average, and the city averages about five inches a month against fifteen up in the Hills.	Cold semi-arid country with a recorded low of 40 below. US 18 is the lifeline and it is a long way to anywhere in a storm.
Housing and lots
Typical pricediffers	Builder inventory sets the level here, and the MLS publishes no Summerset median on its own.	$300k to $450kMedian sold $349,950. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 706 closed sales.	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.
Housing agediffers	Mostly 2000s to present	Everything from 1875 downtown streets to current new construction	An 1890 railroad town, so mostly older stock, with about a quarter of units vacant at the 2020 count.
New constructiondiffers	Limited, mostly infill and small projects	Active, with subdivisions still building	None underway
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
Typical lotdiffers	Wide lots on new streets	Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot dimensions.	Town lots inside the limits, ranch scale outside them.
Covenants and HOAdiffersCovenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel.	Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others	Not recorded townwide in this guide. Read the recorded documents for the plat.	Few plats here carry recorded covenants
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.	City water and sewer inside the limits	City water and sewer inside the limits
Waterdiffers	Black Hawk Water User District, or Diamond D Water in Sun Valley	City of Rapid City municipal	City of Edgemont municipal water. Rural parcels are on private wells.
Sewerdiffers	City of Summerset	City of Rapid City sanitary sewer	City sewer inside the limits, with private septic on rural parcels.
Short term rentalsdiffers	The thinnest rules on this list, which means a rental plan has to be pinned down for the specific address.	Vacation rentals inside city limits are regulated, and the ordinance is recent. Read the guide before you count on rental income.	Edgemont is not a tourism town. Short-term rental demand here is work crews, hunting season and Rally traffic passing through, not visitors staying to see something.
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.	Rapid City Area Schools 51-4Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.	Edgemont School District 23-1Assignment 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.	Groceries, the hospital and the airport are all inside the city, so a supply run is minutes rather than a trip.	Small-town grocery and convenience in Edgemont, with Hot Springs about 35 miles east for more.
Healthcarediffers	Hospital-level care is in Rapid City, about 15 minutes south.	Monument Health's main campus is here, which is the reason a lot of the region drives in.	No hospital in town. Fall River Health Services in Hot Springs is a 25 bed critical access hospital with a 24 hour emergency department.
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.	Main Street Square and Art Alley downtown, with Mount Rushmore southwest, Custer State Park south and the Badlands east.	The hundred-year-old city park, the campground, the Elk Mountains and open country in every direction.
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.	13 mapped outlines, 13 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	New streets and builder inventory, with Highlands at Norman Ranch adding over 100 first phase homesites across more than 300 acres.	A working city with a real downtown, older streets with mature trees near the middle and new subdivisions on the edges.	A working BNSF crew-change town founded in 1890, at the far southern edge of the Hills below the Elk Mountains.
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.	Everything the region has sits in one place: Monument Health, the airport, the widest run of housing stock, and 24 minutes to the Ellsworth gate.	More town per dollar than anywhere else in the region, with its own school district and city utilities.
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.	You buy into the region's deepest demand, and the recent vacation rental ordinance limits what you can do with a house you do not live in.	A hundred miles from Rapid City, 35 from a hospital, with two unresolved questions hanging over the local economy.

Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorSummerset
Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridorRapid City
Central and Southern HillsEdgemont

Where it sits

Regiondiffers

Summerset: Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
Rapid City: Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
Edgemont: Central and Southern Hills

Countydiffers

Summerset: Meade County
Rapid City: Pennington County
Edgemont: Fall River County

Jurisdictiondiffers

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

Summerset: City of Summerset, incorporated July 2005
Rapid City: City of Rapid City
Edgemont: Incorporated city of Edgemont, with Fall River County outside the limits.

Corridordiffers

Summerset: I-90
Rapid City: I-90 along the north edge
Edgemont: US 18 and SD 471

To downtown Rapid Citydiffers

Summerset: 15 min, 10.0 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
Rapid City: 5 min, 1.5 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
Edgemont: About 100 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.
Rapid City: 24 min, 13.8 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
Edgemont: About 110 milesDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.

Winter drivingdiffers

Summerset: The commute is I-90, so winter driving here is interstate driving rather than a two lane canyon road.
Rapid City: April is the snowiest month at 10.1 inches on average, and the city averages about five inches a month against fifteen up in the Hills.
Edgemont: Cold semi-arid country with a recorded low of 40 below. US 18 is the lifeline and it is a long way to anywhere in a storm.

Housing and lots

Typical pricediffers

Summerset: Builder inventory sets the level here, and the MLS publishes no Summerset median on its own.
Rapid City: $300k to $450kMedian sold $349,950. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 706 closed sales.
Edgemont: 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.

Housing agediffers

Summerset: Mostly 2000s to present
Rapid City: Everything from 1875 downtown streets to current new construction
Edgemont: An 1890 railroad town, so mostly older stock, with about a quarter of units vacant at the 2020 count.

New constructiondiffers

Summerset: Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Rapid City: Active, with subdivisions still building
Edgemont: None underway

Acreagediffers

Summerset: Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot size.
Rapid City: Some acreage, mostly platted town lots
Edgemont: Acreage parcels are common here

Typical lotdiffers

Summerset: Wide lots on new streets
Rapid City: Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot dimensions.
Edgemont: Town lots inside the limits, ranch scale outside them.

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
Rapid City: Not recorded townwide in this guide. Read the recorded documents for the plat.
Edgemont: Few plats here carry recorded covenants

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.
Rapid City: City water and sewer inside the limits
Edgemont: City water and sewer inside the limits

Waterdiffers

Summerset: Black Hawk Water User District, or Diamond D Water in Sun Valley
Rapid City: City of Rapid City municipal
Edgemont: City of Edgemont municipal water. Rural parcels are on private wells.

Sewerdiffers

Summerset: City of Summerset
Rapid City: City of Rapid City sanitary sewer
Edgemont: City sewer inside the limits, with private septic on rural parcels.

Short term rentalsdiffers

Summerset: The thinnest rules on this list, which means a rental plan has to be pinned down for the specific address.
Rapid City: Vacation rentals inside city limits are regulated, and the ordinance is recent. Read the guide before you count on rental income.
Edgemont: Edgemont is not a tourism town. Short-term rental demand here is work crews, hunting season and Rally traffic passing through, not visitors staying to see something.

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.
Rapid City: Rapid City Area Schools 51-4Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Edgemont: Edgemont School District 23-1Assignment 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.
Rapid City: Groceries, the hospital and the airport are all inside the city, so a supply run is minutes rather than a trip.
Edgemont: Small-town grocery and convenience in Edgemont, with Hot Springs about 35 miles east for more.

Healthcarediffers

Summerset: Hospital-level care is in Rapid City, about 15 minutes south.
Rapid City: Monument Health's main campus is here, which is the reason a lot of the region drives in.
Edgemont: No hospital in town. Fall River Health Services in Hot Springs is a 25 bed critical access hospital with a 24 hour emergency department.

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.
Rapid City: Main Street Square and Art Alley downtown, with Mount Rushmore southwest, Custer State Park south and the Badlands east.
Edgemont: The hundred-year-old city park, the campground, the Elk Mountains and open country in every direction.

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.
Rapid City: 13 mapped outlines, 13 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls.
Edgemont: 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.
Rapid City: A working city with a real downtown, older streets with mature trees near the middle and new subdivisions on the edges.
Edgemont: A working BNSF crew-change town founded in 1890, at the far southern edge of the Hills below the Elk Mountains.

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.
Rapid City: Everything the region has sits in one place: Monument Health, the airport, the widest run of housing stock, and 24 minutes to the Ellsworth gate.
Edgemont: More town per dollar than anywhere else in the region, with its own school district and city utilities.

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.
Rapid City: You buy into the region's deepest demand, and the recent vacation rental ordinance limits what you can do with a house you do not live in.
Edgemont: A hundred miles from Rapid City, 35 from a hospital, with two unresolved questions hanging over the local economy.

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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ComparingSummerset, Rapid City, Edgemont

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