Box Elder is enjoying rapid growth and welcomes a new downtown center
While Box Elder enjoys panoramic vistas of The Black Hills mountains and the grassy slopes of The Badlands, it’s what people see inside the city that attracts the most attention. Located east of Rapid City, Box Elder has been known for decades as home to the South Dakota Air and Space Museum and nearby Ellsworth Air Force Base. And that was it — until recently. According to the Box Elder Chamber of Commerce, the city of nearly 12,000 people is expected to reach 16,000 by 2026.
Expansion at the air base, as well as new construction in retail, education and housing, are driving growth. The much-awaited Liberty Plaza, a mixed-use development under construction, will add single-family homes, apartments, the $12.5 million Liberty Center YMCA and new retail space. It will also offer something Box Elder has lacked to date — a true Main Street and a downtown center. “The city of Box Elder has done a great job of planning for this expansion,” says Megan Dickerson, a Realtor with Ascend Realty for more than eight years. “They’re looking 10 years out, not two years out. A lot of change is under way for Box Elder, but it’s all positive and will impact the city residents for years to come.”
Box Elder has unique and amazing retail stores like Dahl's Chainsaw Art.
The Museum of Geology helps draw tourism to Box Elder.
Downtown Box Elder offers many restaurants and retail stores to the residents in Box Elder.
Target offers a one stop store for shoppers in Box Elder.
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Ellsworth Air Force Base is the area’s leading employer
Box Elder gained fame during World War II when the U.S. Army Air Corps built what would become Ellsworth Air Force Base to train crews for the B-17 bomber. It’s fitting that Ellsworth is now gearing up to become a base for the military's newest front-line warplane, the B-21 Raider. As a result, the base will add 4,000 jobs and expand its facilities to accept the cutting-edge airplane and its personnel.
Ellsworth Air Force Base offers a large amount of employment for residents in Box Elder.
The Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder has an amazing display of past aircrafts.
Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder has a wide variety of outdated aircrafts.
Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder attracts tourisms who enjoy looking at the past aircrafts.
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Home prices are slightly lower than surrounding county median prices
Compared to surrounding Pennington and Meade counties, Box Elder's median home price of about $350,000 is lower by $50,000 to more than $100,000. Midcentury modern homes have sold from $275,000 to $375,000, while new ranch-style homes and two-story New Traditional homes have recently sold for as much as $675,000. One of Box Elder’s newest subdivisions, Freedom Landing, offers new homes starting around $300,000.
Box Elder is home to affordable yet beautiful housing in South Dakota.
Box Elder offers new and beautifully built buildings.
Box Elder is home to quite suburban streets.
Box Elder offers newly built condominiums to residents.
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Two school districts serve Box Elder students
Box Elder is zoned for both the Rapid City Area School District, which has a B-minus grade from Niche and the Douglas School District, which is graded B-plus. Both districts receive high grades for the diversity of their student population and for their athletics programs. Black Hills State University/Rapid City is a four-year liberal arts university offering eight Masters programs and about 120 undergraduate degrees.
Black Hills State University offers a wide range of advanced classes to residents in Box Elder.
Black Hills State University offers higher end education to students in Box Elder.
Douglass High School provides quality and safe education for students in Box Elder.
Douglass High School serves students in Box Elder with a high quality and professional teachers.
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City parks and day trips to Mount Rushmore
Just outside the air base and open to the public for free, South Dakota Air and Space Museum displays around 80 years of military aircraft and weapons. Day trips to Mount Rushmore are easy to make via Highway 16, a 34-mile drive southwest of the city. The city manages eight parks that feature playgrounds, sports fields and bicycle trails.
The Box Elder Events Center leads the way for cultural and sporting events
Another example of notable growth in Box Elder, the Box Elder Events Center — known as “The Box ”— opened in 2023 and hosts a variety of sports, cultural and local events. Shopping destinations offer a mix of retail businesses and military exchanges. While dining options are expanding with the Liberty Plaza Project, locals will often head to Rapid City for retail shopping.
The Box Elder Events Center offers a place for families to host events in Box Elder.
It's common to see youth attending events at The Box Elder Events Center in Box Elder.
The Box Elder Events Center attracts sporting events in Box Elder.
The Box Elder Events Center is the perfect place to host a family event in Box Elder.
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Mild summers and cold winters define Box Elder
Chinook winds are common to the region, often driving wide swings in temperature in a short time. They can take place year-round but most often in winter or early spring. Similar to California's Santa Ana winds, they blow down out of the nearby mountains to the west, delivering warm and dry gusts that can reach 50-100 mph and rapidly melt the snow pack. When such melts take place, river flooding can be a concern. Since 2020, Box Elder’s reported rates of violent and property crimes have been mostly lower than the national and state averages, according to FBI data. However, periodic spikes have occurred.
Easy access to Rapid City and surrounding cities
Car travel is the primary form of transportation for residents. Interstate 90 bisects South Dakota from west to east and flows between Box Elder and Ellsworth Air Force Base. The Liberty Plaza project will transform the I-90 corridor and welcome statewide travelers to the area for new retail, dining and cultural opportunities. Rapid City Regional Airport is 9 miles south of the city and the closest commercial airport. Rapid City itself is 10 miles west, while Spearfish is almost 60 miles northwest. The state capital of Pierre is 162 miles east along the Missouri River.
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
