Drake Park - Des Moines, IA Area Guide

Drake Park residents have all of the cultural amenities that a large city provides within 2 miles of their homes. Move to Drake Park to enjoy easy access to the Des Moines Art Center and Civic Center. The neighborhood hosts an annual art tour that takes participants to several homes featuring renditions created by local artists. Annual events, such as the Drake Relays, keep Drake Park boiling over with energy throughout the year.

Named after famed Civil War hero Francis Marion Drake, Drake Park has vacillated several times between primarily housing university students and acting as the home for blue-collar workers that help expand the area's infrastructure. Newly arrived immigrants enhance the cultural diversity that makes Drake Park a popular Des Moines neighborhood. Drake Park attracts a growing number of transient professionals who sign one- to six-month housing contracts.

University Avenue acts as the restaurant and nightlife hub for Drake University students as well as the residents of the Drake Park neighborhood. Considered a Des Moines landmark that attracts customers from all over the area, locally owned Drake Diner presents an upbeat 1950s ambiance that delivers popular menu items such as homemade meat loaf and made-from-scratch pies. Sitting one block east of the Drake Diner, Mars Cafe projects a surreal ambiance highlighted by wall art created by Drake University students. You don't have to be an extraterrestrial to delight in the rich espressos, while you enjoy menu items inspired by locally grown produce. As a college-based neighborhood, Drake Park has its fair share of sandwich shops, including independent restaurants that deliver both value and a full stomach. Des Moines zoning ordinances do not encourage the development of live music venues or nightclubs in the Drake Park neighborhood. College bars, such as University Library Cafe, that operate within a mile of Drake Park promote a low-key ambiance. University Library Cafe is recognized for having the best nachos in the city. Drake Park residents who want to absorb the energy of live-music venues typically travel downtown to the Court Avenue District. The Gas Lamp, which consistently ranks as one of the Des Moines area's best live-music venues, is located about a mile directly south of the Drake Park neighborhood.

The Des Moines Area Rapid Transit system (DART) has quickly grown over the past 10 years to encompass multiple bus routes that take Drake Park residents to all of the major local attractions. Residents ride the number 3 university bus to downtown Des Moines and Valley West Mall. The number 3 university bus line acts as the primary public transportation mode for the area's central corridor. Commuters hop on Interstate 235, which skirts the southern border of the neighborhood. Once on I-235, Commuters drive less than two minutes before they access one of the multiple lane streets that shoots straight into the heart of downtown Des Moines.

Pedestrians enjoy wide sidewalks on virtually every street within Drake Park. Although Des Moines has earned recognition for the promotion of cycling, the section of University Avenue that cuts through Drake Park does not include lanes designated for cyclists. Parking meters abound along University Avenue, but the rest of Drake Park remains free for parking. Park free on neighborhood side streets and walk a short distance to the main neighborhood commerce center. Uber entered the Des Moines market in late 2013 and the car-pooling service has a negligible impact on Drake Park transportation. You can hail a cab in nearby downtown, but cabs rarely make an appearance in a neighborhood that benefits from easy public transportation and highway access.

The natural splendor found within Drake Park overshadows the popularity of the park's multiple recreational venues. Two tennis courts, a large basketball court, and playground equipment keep residents occupied for hours on end. Reserve one of the open-end shelters to host a family reunion or simply catch up on the neighborhood gossip. Like most Des Moines city parks, Drake Park costs nothing to reap the benefits of interacting with Mother Nature. Drake Park provides the perfect setting for university-sponsored cultural events that include annual art shows and a summer concert series. Residents of Drake Park who need to exercise their furry best friends must visit the Windsor Heights Dog Park, which is located 2 miles directly west off of University Avenue.

Drake Park residents enjoy a cost of living that falls 18 percent below the national average. The neighborhood is also less expensive than other Des Moines neighborhoods by 4 percent. Much of the difference derives from the cheaper housing, as landlords compete for a limited number of students. The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Drake Park averages around $543, which falls $83 below the average for Des Moines-area one-bedroom apartments.

The $1.75 bus fare paid for a two-hour trip represents one of the lowest fares in the country. Passengers pay less than $2 to reach virtually every major attraction in the Des Moines area. If one of the attractions includes bar stools and multiple beer taps, Drake Park residents can expect to pay around $2.50 for a beer. Many of the bars around Drake University offer happy hour domestic draft specials that cost less than $2. Happy hour appears to be the theme at Drake Park gas pumps, with the average price of a gallon of gas falling 16 percent below the national average.

Drake Park residents can shop at high-end retailers located at the closest shopping mall, Merle Hay Mall. However, plenty of boutique and specialty stores line Ingersoll Avenue near the Drake University campus.

Repeat Boutique Consignment attracts repeat business because of its vast array of name-brand women's clothing and accessories. This boutique offers handmade jewelry created by local denizens. Men visit Ingersoll Avenue to upgrade their upscale wardrobes by shopping at Badowers.

Although the Downtown Farmers' Market receives most of the publicity, Drake Neighborhood Farmers Market provides residents with a wide selection of locally grown organic foods. You don't have to fight downtown traffic since the market sits within a few yards of your doorstep. Drake Park residents can travel west on University to buy their paper goods and other types of food at Hy-Vee.