The phrase settling the West carries historical weight. It evokes covered wagons, homestead claims, and the raw determination of people who chose discomfort and uncertainty over the known limitations of where they came from. In 2026, the mechanics are different but the motivation is identical.
Today's settlers are remote workers leaving overpriced coastal and Sun Belt cities. They are young families who realized that a $4,000 mortgage on a 1,200-square-foot house is not a life plan. They are entrepreneurs who understand that a lower cost of living means a longer runway and more freedom to build something meaningful.
Settle the West is the initiative within the Black Hills Consortium that coordinates this modern migration. It is not a tourism campaign. It is not a chamber of commerce brochure. It is a structured program that connects relocating families with housing, employment, education, community, and the practical support systems that make a major life transition work.
The program identifies partner cities across the Northern Plains and Mountain West — small towns with strong fundamentals that are actively investing in growth. Custer, South Dakota is the flagship. Hot Springs, Deadwood, Hill City, and several towns in Wyoming and Montana are in various stages of partnership development. Each town gets a dedicated profile on the Settle the West platform, complete with housing data, school information, broadband availability, community amenities, and testimonials from people who have already made the move.
The economics are straightforward. A remote worker earning $120,000 in Denver pays approximately $2,400 per month in rent for a modest apartment, $500 in state income tax, and $200 in city-specific fees and taxes. That same worker in Custer pays $1,200 for a mortgage on a house with a yard, zero state income tax, and negligible local fees. The annual savings approach $25,000 — money that can go toward building equity, starting a business, or simply living with less financial stress.
But the value proposition extends beyond individual savings. When remote workers relocate to small towns, they bring spending power that transforms local economies. They eat at local restaurants. They hire local contractors. They enroll their kids in local schools, which increases per-pupil funding. They start businesses that create jobs for residents. The multiplier effect of each relocating family is estimated at $150,000 to $200,000 in annual economic impact.
The Black Hills Consortium has structured its 13 entities to capture and amplify this multiplier effect. Pass Creek Real Estate develops housing for newcomers. THE OP provides community gathering space. Seed Academy offers education programs. Outpost Media tells the stories that attract the next wave. Delegate Digital helps local businesses upgrade their digital presence to serve a growing customer base. GrowWise brings cannabis technology revenue that funds community investment through the consortium's perpetual flywheel.
Settling the West in 2026 means choosing substance over status. It means betting on a 15-acre campus in Custer, South Dakota over a 500-square-foot apartment in Brooklyn. It means raising kids who know what a ponderosa pine smells like after a rainstorm. It means building a career on your own terms in a place where your cost of living does not eat your ambition alive.
The covered wagons are gone. The opportunity is bigger than ever. The question is whether you have the courage to make the move.