The migration pattern is unmistakable. Remote workers who spent 2020 through 2024 in Austin, Denver, Boise, and Nashville are looking for the next move. Housing costs in those cities have doubled or tripled. Traffic has returned to pre-pandemic levels. The quality of life that drew people there is eroding under the weight of their own popularity.
The Black Hills of South Dakota offer a fundamentally different proposition. No state income tax. Median home prices under $350,000 in most communities. A cost of living 20 to 30 percent below the national average. World-class outdoor recreation — Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, the Mickelson Trail, Sylvan Lake — all within a 30-minute drive of most Black Hills towns.
But the draw is not just economic. The Black Hills are building something that the trendy metros never managed — a genuine community infrastructure for remote workers. The Black Hills Consortium, a 13-entity organization based in Custer, South Dakota, has invested in coworking spaces, high-speed internet infrastructure, community events, and workforce development programs specifically designed for remote professionals.
THE OP, a community cafe and gathering space in Custer, serves as the informal hub for the remote worker community. It is not a WeWork knockoff. It is a place where you run into your neighbors, where your kids play while you take a call, where the local contractor sits next to the software engineer. That organic community is what Slack channels and Discord servers try to replicate digitally but never quite achieve.
Pass Creek Real Estate is developing housing specifically for remote workers and their families — not cookie-cutter subdivisions, but thoughtfully designed homes on acreage that respect the landscape. Seed Academy provides education options that do not require a 45-minute school bus ride. Outpost Media documents the community as it grows, creating the social proof that attracts the next wave.
The infrastructure investment is real. Gigabit fiber is expanding across the region. Starlink covers the gaps. The South Dakota Governor's Office of Economic Development actively recruits remote workers with tax incentives and relocation assistance. This is not a grassroots effort running on enthusiasm alone — it is a coordinated economic development strategy backed by state and local resources.
The numbers tell the story. Custer County's population grew 8 percent between 2020 and 2025, driven almost entirely by in-migration. Permit applications for new construction are up 40 percent year-over-year. The average remote worker relocating to the Black Hills saves $18,000 to $25,000 annually compared to Denver and $30,000 to $40,000 compared to Austin, after accounting for housing, taxes, and cost of living.
The Black Hills are not trying to become the next Austin. They are building something better — a community where you can afford to live well, raise a family, and do meaningful work without sacrificing your connection to the land. The remote workers who have already made the move are not leaving. They are inviting their friends.
If you are tired of paying $3,000 a month for a one-bedroom apartment in a city that used to be affordable, the Black Hills deserve a serious look. The window of opportunity is wide open, but it will not stay that way forever. The best time to make the move is before everyone else figures out what you already know.