Autumn Hills
An established west Rapid City neighborhood around Summerset Drive and Winterset Drive, with grown in yards and rolling streets.
Facts checked August 2026
Summerset Drive and Winterset Drive, west of town off the Sheridan Lake Road side. The trees are grown, the lawns are in, and the streets follow the roll of the ground rather than a grid.
Why people buy here
This is the kind of west side neighborhood that never gets talked about, because nothing is being built and nobody is marketing it. Houses come up a few at a time and they sell to people who already knew the streets.
What you are getting is time. Landscaping that took twenty years, and a location that puts you on the west side of Rapid City without buying into a subdivision still under construction.
Where it is
West and southwest Rapid City, around Summerset Drive, Winterset Drive and the streets connecting them off the Sheridan Lake Road side of town.
The streets and the lots
Conventional residential lots, established single family houses, and rolling terrain that gives some driveways a pitch and some backyards a grade. Mature trees and finished landscaping are the difference between this and anything currently being built.
Because it is established, inventory is thin by nature. There is no builder here with a lot to sell you, so what comes up is a resale and it goes when it is priced right.
Buying an established house
Age is the whole inspection. Roofs, furnaces, water heaters, windows, service panels and original finishes are all in play depending on what the owner has already replaced. Ask for receipts rather than assurances.
Grade and drainage deserve a walk on rolling ground. Look at where water goes when it leaves the roof and whether it heads away from the foundation.
Utility service, any recorded covenants and street maintenance are address level questions. Confirm them for the specific property rather than assuming the neighborhood answer.
Getting around from here
The west and southwest side of Rapid City is close, and the Sheridan Lake Road corridor is the way you get out of town toward the Hills without crossing the whole city first.
Winter is a west side winter. Snow sits longer on a shaded street with a grade to it than it does on flat pavement, and how a driveway faces matters more here than it would in a flat part of town.
How far to things
- Nearest hospital
- Monument Health Rapid City Hospital
Typical driving time with clear roads.
Why buyers choose Autumn Hills
- Established neighborhood with mature landscaping instead of a new lawn and staked trees.
- Conventional lots on the west side of Rapid City, close to the Sheridan Lake Road corridor.
- Nothing is under construction here, so the street is finished.
- Houses come up rarely, which keeps the neighborhood steady.
What to check at this address
- School district
- Rapid City Area Schools 51-4
- Older housing stock, so mechanicals, roofs and windows are the price conversation.
- Thin inventory. You may wait for the right house rather than choose among several.
- Rolling terrain means grades, driveways and drainage deserve a closer look.
- Covenants and street maintenance vary by address, so verify rather than assume.
Open the ones that apply to the address you are looking at.
Radon
The Black Hills sit on granite and radon levels here run high, so test during the inspection period and price mitigation into your offer if the number comes back elevated.
Read the full guideHail and roof age
Hail season here runs from late May through August, so ask for the roof age, the last claim history and any impact-resistant rating before you write.
Covenants and HOA documents
Read the covenants before you write, especially on outbuildings, RV and trailer parking, fencing, rentals and exterior materials.
Property taxes
Look up the actual assessed value and the current levy for the parcel instead of trusting the listing figure, which is often a year or more behind.
Read the full guideWhere the water goes
Walk the lot and look at how the ground falls away from the foundation, where the downspouts end and whether the low corner of the yard holds water. Ask a neighbor what the street does in a hard August rain.
Which school this address feeds
A district line can run through a single subdivision, so confirm the assignment for the specific address with the district office rather than the plat or the listing. Boundaries also change between years.
Schools
Addresses here fall inside Rapid City Area Schools 51-4. Assignment is set by the district and has changed on the west side before, so confirm it for the exact address.
Verify current boundaries with the district for any specific address.
I provide objective school information consistently and do not personally rate or recommend schools. Attendance boundaries can cross city and county lines, and the district's current assignment for the exact address controls. Verify directly with the district before making a school-driven decision.
Homes for sale in Autumn Hills
Nothing of mine is listed in Autumn Hills today. This search is set for Autumn Hills and shows whatever is active there right now.
Common questions about Autumn Hills
Where is Autumn Hills in Rapid City?
On the west and southwest side, around Summerset Drive and Winterset Drive, off the Sheridan Lake Road side of town.
Is Autumn Hills new construction?
No. It is an established neighborhood with grown in landscaping and older single family homes.
How often do homes come up in Autumn Hills?
Rarely, because nothing is being built and turnover is low. Watching it over months is more useful than checking once.
What to check before you write an offer
On any address you are serious about, buyer due diligence should include the school assignment from the district, the water quality report from the utility that serves it, and the assessed value and levy from the county. Here are the sources for each one.
The sources, by category
Schools
Confirm the assigned school for a specific address with the district, because boundaries change and they change more often than people expect. Rapid City Area Schools boundary maps · School and district profiles on GreatSchools · Preschools and private schools in the Black Hills
Drinking water
Every public water system publishes an annual water quality report. Read the one for the system that serves the address you are considering, not the one for the town next door. Rapid City water quality reports · City of Box Elder Water Division · City of Spearfish water · EPA drinking water lookup
Property taxes and assessed value
Pennington County Equalization · Meade County Equalization · Lawrence County Equalization
The county record, the plat and the recorded covenants are the three documents to read on any address here. I do not rate schools and I do not characterize neighborhoods as safe or unsafe. Those readings are yours to make from the sources above.
Also compare
See what's for sale now
These open my search site, where the listings update from the MLS through the day. This page is the background; that one is the inventory.
Keep reading on Rapid City
The region's hub for jobs, medicine, dining and flights, within an easy commute of Ellsworth Air Force Base.
An actively building Rapid Valley subdivision where the school district line runs through the middle.
A newer established subdivision on the north side, finished building, ten minutes from downtown.
Older homes on the west side with the Hills standing up in every direction.
The pines close in and you forget you are still inside the city.
My free buyer's guide, written for wells, septic, hail history and PCS timelines in this region.
Price, down payment, rate, taxes, insurance and HOA in one number.
New to the Black Hills? Start with the questions people ask.
On an established street the house is the variable, not the neighborhood. Bring an inspector who will get on the roof and into the crawlspace, and read what has already been replaced before you argue about price.
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.
Talk to Henry
Call or text 605-490-2040 and we can talk through what is realistic in Autumn Hills right now, including what has closed nearby.
Last updated August 2026
This guide is general information, not legal, tax, lending or financial advice. Facts and figures are cited from public sources as of August 2026 and change over time. Henry Roy is a licensed real estate professional with Ascend Realty in South Dakota. Equal Housing Opportunity.