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.
15 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
- $375k to $575kMedian sold $425,000. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 127 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- 36 min from the Prairie Haven side, closer to 51 from the plats highest up the foothillsDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 26 minutes from the Prairie Haven side, longer from the upper platsDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- School district
- Meade School District 46-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Typical price
- $300k to $450kMedian sold $349,950. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 706 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- 24 min, 13.8 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- 5 min, 1.5 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- City water and sewer inside the limits
- School district
- Rapid City Area Schools 51-4Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
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.
- Typical price
- $275k to $375kMedian sold $300,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 113 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About an hourDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 55 to 60 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- School district
- Belle Fourche School District 9-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Typical price
- $320k to $500kMedian sold $385,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 117 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 55 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 50 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify water and sewer service for the address.
- School district
- Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Typical price
- No figure published. Newell is Mount Rushmore Area MLS territory and the current feed covers only the Black Hills MLS, so any count from that feed is a floor rather than this town's price level.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 60 milesDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 54 miles, roughly 70 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- School district
- Newell School District 09-2Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Typical price
- $400k to $600kMedian sold $475,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 199 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- 68 min, 57.0 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- 53 min, 47.8 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- City water and sewer are typical inside city-served areas. Acreage outside the city can use wells, septic systems or other service arrangements, so utilities should be confirmed by address.
- School district
- Spearfish School District 40-2Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Typical price
- 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.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 45 milesDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 44 miles, roughly 48 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Mostly private well and septic
- School 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.
- 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.
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.
- Typical price
- 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.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 55 milesDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 45 miles, roughly 56 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- School 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Between Wall, Keystone, Summerset
The rows below are the ones where these do not read the same. Ordered as the table runs, not by importance.
- Region
- WallPrairie and BadlandsKeystoneCentral and Southern HillsSummersetRapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
- County
- WallPennington CountyKeystonePennington CountySummersetMeade County
- Jurisdiction
- WallIncorporated town of Wall, with Pennington County outside the limits.KeystoneIncorporated town of Keystone, with unincorporated Pennington County on the surrounding hillsides.SummersetCity of Summerset, incorporated July 2005
- Corridor
- WallI-90 exits 109 and 110KeystoneUS 16ASummersetI-90
- To downtown Rapid City
- WallAbout 50 miles west on I-90KeystoneAbout 25 minutes northeastSummerset15 min, 10.0 mi
- To Ellsworth AFB
- WallAbout 43 miles westKeystoneAbout 40 minutesSummerset30 min, 19.2 mi
Wall, Keystone, Summerset
Rows marked as differing are the ones where these do not read alike. Rows without the mark sit on a quiet background because they say the same thing in every column.
| Attribute | Prairie and BadlandsWall | Central and Southern HillsKeystone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | |||
| Regiondiffers | Prairie and Badlands | Central and Southern Hills | Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor |
| Countydiffers | Pennington County | Pennington County | Meade County |
| JurisdictiondiffersCity versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work. | Incorporated town of Wall, with Pennington County outside the limits. | Incorporated town of Keystone, with unincorporated Pennington County on the surrounding hillsides. | City of Summerset, incorporated July 2005 |
| Corridordiffers | I-90 exits 109 and 110 | US 16A | I-90 |
| To downtown Rapid Citydiffers | About 50 miles west on I-90Distance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel. | About 25 minutes northeastDriving time and distance, off peak. | 15 min, 10.0 miDriving time and distance, off peak. |
| To Ellsworth AFBdiffers | About 43 miles westDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel. | About 40 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak. | 30 min, 19.2 miDriving time and distance, off peak. |
| Winter drivingdiffers | I-90 is the lifeline and it is state maintained, but this is open prairie and I-90 does close in a ground blizzard. Plan for that a few times a winter. | Black Hills elevation on canyon roads, and a town that empties out for the season. Iron Mountain Road and the scenic routes are not winter commuting roads. | The commute is I-90, so winter driving here is interstate driving rather than a two lane canyon road. |
| Housing and lots | |||
| Typical pricediffers | 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. | 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. | Builder inventory sets the level here, and the MLS publishes no Summerset median on its own. |
| Housing agediffers | Older stock through town, with a municipal demolition incentive program in place for blighted property. | An 1883 mining town, so genuinely old stock alongside newer builds and cabins. | Mostly 2000s to present |
| New construction | Limited, mostly infill and small projects | Limited, mostly infill and small projects | Limited, mostly infill and small projects |
| Acreagediffers | Acreage parcels are common here | Some acreage, mostly platted town lots | Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot size. |
| Typical lotdiffers | Platted town lots, and then it jumps straight to ranch scale. | Small and steep in town, larger on the surrounding hillsides outside the limits. | Wide lots on new streets |
| 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 | Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others |
| Utilities and rules | |||
| Utility patterndiffers | City water and sewer inside the limits | Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it | 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. |
| Waterdiffers | Town of Wall municipal water inside the limits. Rural parcels are on private wells. | Town of Keystone municipal water inside the limits, drawn from town wells, with no violations on its current record. Parcels outside the town limits are on private wells. | Black Hawk Water User District, or Diamond D Water in Sun Valley |
| Sewerdiffers | Town sewer inside the limits, with private septic on rural parcels. | Confirm with the town before you rely on it. The town operates public works, but I have not been able to verify from the public record whether it runs a collection system or which parcels it reaches. Outside the limits, expect private septic. | City of Summerset |
| Short term rentalsdiffers | This is genuine seasonal tourism territory at a national park gate. Confirm any town requirement, and note that Wall Drug houses many of its own seasonal workers, which removes demand from the local rental market. | A 2 percent municipal lodging tax applies to transient stays. Whether a separate short term rental ordinance exists is not clear from the public record, so confirm with the town in writing. | The thinnest rules on this list, which means a rental plan has to be pinned down for the specific address. |
| Schools | |||
| School districtdiffers | Wall School District 51-5Assignment 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. | 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. |
| Daily errands | |||
| Groceriesdiffers | The Wall Food Center on South Boulevard West. | Nothing full service in town. Hill City is the closest small grocery and Rapid City is the real shopping, about 25 minutes northeast. | Not recorded in this guide. Check what is open near the address. |
| Healthcarediffers | The Monument Health Wall Clinic on 7th Avenue is in town. The nearest hospital is Monument Health Rapid City, roughly 50 miles west. | No clinic in town. Monument Health Custer Hospital has a 24 hour emergency department, and Rapid City has the larger hospital. | Hospital-level care is in Rapid City, about 15 minutes south. |
| Recreationdiffers | Badlands National Park about seven miles south, Buffalo Gap National Grassland all around, the National Grasslands Visitor Center on Main Street and the Wall rodeo arena. | Mount Rushmore is past the town boundary, the 1880 Train runs from the Winter Street depot, and Custer State Park and the Norbeck Scenic Byway are close. | 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. |
| Mapped subdivisions | |||
| Outlines on filediffers | No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet. | No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet. | 2 mapped outlines, 2 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls. |
| The trade | |||
| Housing and patterndiffers | A complete small prairie town with its own school, clinic and grocery, at the northern gate to the Badlands. | An 1883 mining camp turned tourism town at the gateway to Mount Rushmore, 240 residents and millions of visitors. | New streets and builder inventory, with Highlands at Norman Ranch adding over 100 first phase homesites across more than 300 acres. |
| What you gaindiffers | Everything a town needs in one place, 50 miles from the city, at prairie prices. | Nightly rental demand runs about as high as anywhere in the Black Hills, if the rules and the covenants check out for the specific property. | 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. |
| What you give updiffers | Fifty miles to a hospital and to real shopping, and an economy that runs on a three month season. | A seasonal town with no school, no grocery and no clinic, and a housing stock where half the doors are dark in winter. | 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. |
Where it sits
Regiondiffers
- Wall
- Prairie and Badlands
- Keystone
- Central and Southern Hills
- Summerset
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
Countydiffers
- Wall
- Pennington County
- Keystone
- Pennington County
- Summerset
- Meade County
Jurisdictiondiffers
City versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work.- Wall
- Incorporated town of Wall, with Pennington County outside the limits.
- Keystone
- Incorporated town of Keystone, with unincorporated Pennington County on the surrounding hillsides.
- Summerset
- City of Summerset, incorporated July 2005
Corridordiffers
- Wall
- I-90 exits 109 and 110
- Keystone
- US 16A
- Summerset
- I-90
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers
- Wall
- About 50 miles west on I-90Distance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- Keystone
- About 25 minutes northeastDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Summerset
- 15 min, 10.0 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
To Ellsworth AFBdiffers
- Wall
- About 43 miles westDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- Keystone
- About 40 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Summerset
- 30 min, 19.2 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
Winter drivingdiffers
- Wall
- I-90 is the lifeline and it is state maintained, but this is open prairie and I-90 does close in a ground blizzard. Plan for that a few times a winter.
- Keystone
- Black Hills elevation on canyon roads, and a town that empties out for the season. Iron Mountain Road and the scenic routes are not winter commuting roads.
- Summerset
- The commute is I-90, so winter driving here is interstate driving rather than a two lane canyon road.
Housing and lots
Typical pricediffers
- Wall
- 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.
- Keystone
- 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.
- Summerset
- Builder inventory sets the level here, and the MLS publishes no Summerset median on its own.
Housing agediffers
- Wall
- Older stock through town, with a municipal demolition incentive program in place for blighted property.
- Keystone
- An 1883 mining town, so genuinely old stock alongside newer builds and cabins.
- Summerset
- Mostly 2000s to present
New construction
- Wall
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
- Keystone
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
- Summerset
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Acreagediffers
- Wall
- Acreage parcels are common here
- Keystone
- Some acreage, mostly platted town lots
- Summerset
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot size.
Typical lotdiffers
- Wall
- Platted town lots, and then it jumps straight to ranch scale.
- Keystone
- Small and steep in town, larger on the surrounding hillsides outside the limits.
- Summerset
- Wide lots on new streets
Covenants and HOAdiffers
Covenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel.- Wall
- Few plats here carry recorded covenants
- Keystone
- Few plats here carry recorded covenants
- Summerset
- Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others
Utilities and rules
Utility patterndiffers
- Wall
- City water and sewer inside the limits
- Keystone
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- 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.
Waterdiffers
- Wall
- Town of Wall municipal water inside the limits. Rural parcels are on private wells.
- Keystone
- Town of Keystone municipal water inside the limits, drawn from town wells, with no violations on its current record. Parcels outside the town limits are on private wells.
- Summerset
- Black Hawk Water User District, or Diamond D Water in Sun Valley
Sewerdiffers
- Wall
- Town sewer inside the limits, with private septic on rural parcels.
- Keystone
- Confirm with the town before you rely on it. The town operates public works, but I have not been able to verify from the public record whether it runs a collection system or which parcels it reaches. Outside the limits, expect private septic.
- Summerset
- City of Summerset
Short term rentalsdiffers
- Wall
- This is genuine seasonal tourism territory at a national park gate. Confirm any town requirement, and note that Wall Drug houses many of its own seasonal workers, which removes demand from the local rental market.
- Keystone
- A 2 percent municipal lodging tax applies to transient stays. Whether a separate short term rental ordinance exists is not clear from the public record, so confirm with the town in writing.
- Summerset
- The thinnest rules on this list, which means a rental plan has to be pinned down for the specific address.
Schools
School districtdiffers
- Wall
- Wall School District 51-5Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Keystone
- Hill City School District 51-2Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- 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.
Daily errands
Groceriesdiffers
- Wall
- The Wall Food Center on South Boulevard West.
- Keystone
- Nothing full service in town. Hill City is the closest small grocery and Rapid City is the real shopping, about 25 minutes northeast.
- Summerset
- Not recorded in this guide. Check what is open near the address.
Healthcarediffers
- Wall
- The Monument Health Wall Clinic on 7th Avenue is in town. The nearest hospital is Monument Health Rapid City, roughly 50 miles west.
- Keystone
- No clinic in town. Monument Health Custer Hospital has a 24 hour emergency department, and Rapid City has the larger hospital.
- Summerset
- Hospital-level care is in Rapid City, about 15 minutes south.
Recreationdiffers
- Wall
- Badlands National Park about seven miles south, Buffalo Gap National Grassland all around, the National Grasslands Visitor Center on Main Street and the Wall rodeo arena.
- Keystone
- Mount Rushmore is past the town boundary, the 1880 Train runs from the Winter Street depot, and Custer State Park and the Norbeck Scenic Byway are close.
- 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.
Mapped subdivisions
Outlines on filediffers
- Wall
- No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.
- Keystone
- No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.
- Summerset
- 2 mapped outlines, 2 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls.
The trade
Housing and patterndiffers
- Wall
- A complete small prairie town with its own school, clinic and grocery, at the northern gate to the Badlands.
- Keystone
- An 1883 mining camp turned tourism town at the gateway to Mount Rushmore, 240 residents and millions of visitors.
- Summerset
- New streets and builder inventory, with Highlands at Norman Ranch adding over 100 first phase homesites across more than 300 acres.
What you gaindiffers
- Wall
- Everything a town needs in one place, 50 miles from the city, at prairie prices.
- Keystone
- Nightly rental demand runs about as high as anywhere in the Black Hills, if the rules and the covenants check out for the specific property.
- 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.
What you give updiffers
- Wall
- Fifty miles to a hospital and to real shopping, and an economy that runs on a three month season.
- Keystone
- A seasonal town with no school, no grocery and no clinic, and a housing stock where half the doors are dark in winter.
- 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.
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.
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.
