Lead
Population ~3,000 · Lawrence County
Built on gold. The Homestake Mine operated from 1876 to 2002 — 126 years. Now home to SURF, a world-class physics laboratory 4,850 feet underground studying dark matter and neutrinos.
~3,000
Population
$35,000-$40,000
Median Income
$175,000-$225,000
Median Home Price
SURF (Sanford Underground Research Facility)
Key Industry
The Challenge
Lead has been in transition for over two decades since Homestake closed. SURF employs 200+ people but cannot replace the thousands of mining jobs. Young people leave for Rapid City. The economic recovery remains incomplete.
~3,000
Population
$35,000-$40,000
Median Income
~12-15%
Poverty Rate
BHC's Role in Lead
How Seed Foundation and the Black Hills Consortium are investing in Lead's future.
SURF partnership — education programs, student internships, tech workforce development
Coworking facility — repurposed downtown building for remote workers and BHC staff
BHC satellite office — 5-8 direct jobs (tech, education, community coordination)
Seed Academy programs — STEM education leveraging SURF's science brand
Downtown revitalization — war chest funds for facade improvements and small business grants
Projected Impact by Year 5
Conservative projections based on the Tulsa Remote model and BHC's base case financials.
12-18
BHC Jobs
200-250
Relocations
$8.5M
Economic Impact (5yr)
68-79
New Students
What makes Lead unique
Lead + SURF + BHC creates a unique density of scientific and tech talent unprecedented for a town of 3,000 in the rural West.
School District
Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1
Current enrollment: ~700-800 students (shared with Deadwood)
Projected new students by Year 5: 68-79
South Dakota funds ~$6,200 per student.
Housing
Median home price: $175,000-$225,000
South Dakota has 0% state income tax. Combined with affordable housing, relocators build wealth dramatically faster than in coastal cities.
“Lead proved it could reinvent itself once — turning a gold mine into a physics lab. BHC is the next chapter: turning Lead into a tech-and-science community.”
— The pitch to Lead
Move to Lead
Apply to Settle the West and start your new life in the Black Hills.