Vernon Heights Estates
A hillside neighborhood inside Sturgis city limits, with Black Hills views from many of its streets and city water, sewer and plowing.
- Typical Lot
- Many lots around 0.19 to 0.27 acres in current examples
Facts checked August 2026
Camaro, Chevelle, Malibu. The plat reads like a muscle car catalog and the hillside climbs the whole way up. The streets climb, and from a good number of them the Black Hills sit out past the rooftops. Not from every house, because the grade and the way a lot faces decide that, and ten minutes walking up Camaro Drive tells you more than any listing photograph. City water, city sewer, city plows, and the middle of Sturgis is a few minutes down the hill rather than out the front door in August.
Why people buy here
This is younger housing than most of what is in town, and the grade means full or walkout basements and attached garages are normal. The tradeoff for the view is the driveway. Come look at one of these in February before you decide how you feel about a north facing slope.
The name on the paperwork
Records and listings use Vernon Heights Estates, Vernon Heights Estates II, Vernon Heights Est II, or just Vernon Heights. Same hillside, different recorded plats, and the county figures on this page cover Vernon Heights Estates II only. Ask which plat an address sits in before you assume anything printed here applies to it.
The houses
Ranch, raised ranch and split foyer, with walkouts the natural way to build on this grade. Many date from the early 2000s onward, with later infill and some current construction mixed in, so there is no single build year for the neighborhood and this page does not invent one.
That spread is the practical problem when you compare two listings here. A 2003 house and a 2019 house on the same loop are different mechanical propositions, and lot grade changes what the yard is usable for.
Grade, water and winter
City of Sturgis water, sewer, plowing, police and the Sturgis Volunteer Fire Department. Meade School District 46-1, with the assigned building confirmed by the district for a specific address.
Vernon Heights II shows up in the City's steep street and collector route material, and Anna is listed among the collector and school routes, so selected streets get attention in the priority sequence while the rest of the neighborhood waits its turn. The city publishes the sequence and not a time. Retaining walls and driveway grade are worth a hard look, and so is where water leaves the lot and what holds the uphill side.
What homes cost here
No complete neighborhood level closed sale set is published for Vernon Heights, so this page prints no median and no price band. Meade County does not release sale prices publicly, and a few listing examples are not a market figure.
Current comparable sales for the exact address are the honest substitute.
How these figures are calculated
How far to things
- Downtown Rapid City
- 33 min, 28.9 mi
- Nearest hospital
- In town
- Rapid City Regional Airport
- 51 min, 40.6 mi
Monument Health Sturgis Hospital
Typical driving time with clear roads.
Why buyers choose Vernon Heights Estates
- Established hillside streets with Black Hills views from many of them, though not from every house.
- City of Sturgis water, sewer and plowing, with Sturgis Police and the Sturgis Volunteer Fire Department.
- Newer housing than the core of town, with a mix of established homes and later infill.
- Close to central Sturgis without living in the Main Street and Rally core.
At a glance
- Typical Lot
- Commonly around 0.19 to 0.27 acres in current examples
- Housing Styles
- Ranch, raised ranch and split foyer, full or walkout basements common
- New Construction
- Limited
Last verified August 2026. How these figures are calculated
What to check at this address
- Jurisdiction
- City of Sturgis
- Water
- City of Sturgis municipal water
- Sewer
- City of Sturgis municipal sewer
- Streets and snow
- City of Sturgis plows. Vernon Heights II appears in the city's steep street and collector route material, so selected streets are cleared in the priority sequence rather than at a published time.
- School district
- Meade School District 46-1
- Fire district
- Sturgis Volunteer Fire Department
- Hillside and walkout lots make drainage, retaining walls and driveway grade address specific.
- Compact to moderate lots leave less room for a large shop or an oversized RV pad than county acreage.
- The housing spans multiple build years, so roof, furnace, windows, basement finish and electrical service vary house to house.
- Hail and roof history still matter on newer homes.
- Steeper streets and driveways deserve a winter look before you commit.
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.
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 guideSnow removal on this street
The City of Sturgis plows. Vernon Heights II shows up in the steep street and collector route material, and Anna is listed among the collector and school routes. Drive the street you are considering in winter conditions and look at the driveway grade.
Where the water goes
Hillside and walkout lots make drainage, retaining walls and driveway grade address specific. Look at where water leaves the lot and what holds the uphill side.
Homes for sale in Vernon Heights Estates
Nothing of mine is listed in Vernon Heights Estates today. This search is set for Vernon Heights Estates and shows whatever is active there right now.
EvidenceThe county record, in detailParcel counts, recorded prices and what each figure comes from for Vernon Heights Estates.
How far along it is
73 of the 92 recorded Vernon Heights Est II parcels carry a house, which leaves 19 without one.
- Platted Parcels
- 92
- Parcels With A House
- 73 (79%)
- Bare Lots
- 19
A bare lot is a lot with no house on it. It is not a listing. Most are owned by somebody who is not selling.
The current county count shows 19 parcels without a house. That is not 19 available lots: buildability and availability have to be verified parcel by parcel, because a hillside parcel can be a drainage strip, a side yard held by a neighbor or genuinely open ground. These figures cover the Vernon Heights Estates II plat only. The original Vernon Heights plat is not counted here, and the two are not rolled together.
Recorded plats included: VERNON HEIGHTS EST II.
Meade County parcel records, August 2026. Assessed values, not sale prices. Ask me for anything more current.
What the county assessment shows
- Median Assessed Value, Improved
- $433,351
Meade County's median assessed value across the improved Vernon Heights Est II parcels is $433,351. That is the county's tax position, used to calculate a tax bill, and it covers every house in that plat including the ones that have not changed hands in years.
It is not a sale price, a budget or proof of what homes cost here. Assessments are set in November for the following year, so recent sales are not inside the number.
These are county assessed values used for property tax purposes. They are not sale prices and not asking prices.
County assessment roll for Vernon Heights Estates. South Dakota aims to equalize assessments at 85 percent of market value. That is a statewide target rather than a promise about any one property, and it does not turn an assessment into a comparable sale. Assessments are set in November for the following year, so recent sales are not in them. Current comparable closings on the specific street are the honest read here.
Common questions about Vernon Heights Estates
Is Vernon Heights the same as Vernon Heights Estates II?
Records and listings use Vernon Heights Estates, Vernon Heights Estates II, Vernon Heights Est II and Vernon Heights for this hillside. The county figures on this page are counted for the Vernon Heights Estates II plat only. Ask me which recorded plat a specific address sits in, because that is the name your title work will use.
What kind of homes are in Vernon Heights Estates?
Ranch, raised ranch and split foyer layouts, with full or walkout basements and attached garages common on the hillside ground. Existing examples suggest many homes date from the early 2000s onward, with later infill and some current construction.
What do homes cost in Vernon Heights Estates?
No complete neighborhood level closed sale set is published, so there is no honest median to print. The $433,351 in the county record is an assessment used to calculate a tax bill, not a sale price. Current comparable sales for the exact address are the honest substitute.
Are there lots available in Vernon Heights Estates?
The current county count shows 19 of the 92 Vernon Heights Est II parcels without a house on them. Whether any of those are buildable or for sale has to be verified parcel by parcel, and the county record settles it one parcel at a time.
Who plows the streets?
The City of Sturgis. Vernon Heights II appears in the city's steep street and collector route material, and Anna is listed among the collector and school routes, so selected streets are cleared in the city's priority sequence. The city does not publish a plow time.
What school district serves Vernon Heights Estates?
Meade School District 46-1. Confirm the assigned building for a specific address with the district.
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. Meade School District 46-1 · School and district profiles on GreatSchools · Preschools and private schools in the Black Hills
Crime data
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
Meade County Equalization · Pennington 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
Older established housing and mature streets south of town, on the same city services.
Dolan Creek EstatesNewer compact housing south of I-90 with a public park inside the plat.
Pine View and Davenport RanchThe more active new construction option, southwest by Exit 32.
Established In-Town NeighborhoodsThe broader Sturgis plat comparison, with the assessed value table by plat.
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 Sturgis
A full-service small town at the north end of the hills, ordinary 50 weeks a year and the center of the world for the other two.
Built around Boulder Canyon Golf Club, with a brand new clubhouse and 159 lots still open.
Moose, Badger, Blacktail and Whitetail, south Sturgis on city water and sewer, 115 of the 120 recorded parcels carrying a house.
106 single family lots on 34 acres south of I-90, built mostly between 2015 and 2021, with a covered public playground on Meadows Drive.
A county seat downtown that runs on ordinary weeks and one extraordinary one.
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.
The view and the driveway come from the same slope, and only one of them shows up in the photographs. Pick a couple of these and let us go stand in the yards.
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 Vernon Heights Estates 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.