Drake
Drake's orbit is walkable in the way college neighborhoods always are: bars within stumbling distance, coffee shops that double as study halls, and a housing stock that hasn't been repainted since the last Bulldogs basketball run worth mentioning. The dating pool skews undergraduate, which is either the appeal or the disqualifier depending on which side of thirty you are on. Rents stay cheap, leases stay short, and the neighborhood empties out every May in a way that can feel like a small civic mood swing. Good for grad students and the faculty-adjacent. Less good if you want neighbors who own their furniture.
Drake by the numbers
Drake runs male-heavy, about 54% men to 46% women.
Median individual income in Drake is about $33,600.
Iowa registers voters by party, and Polk County is about 37% Democratic to 30% Republican, with a 32% No Party bloc.
The median renter in Drake pays about $1,030 a month.
About 4,400 Drake residents ages 22 to 50 are single.
Local date spots
- DrakeDining
Drake Diner
- DrakeDining
HomeGrown Des Moines - Crescent
- DrakeDrinks
The Dam Pub
- DrakeCafés
University Library Cafe
- DrakeDining
Fresko
- DrakeDining
Lucky Horse Beer & Burgers
- DrakeDrinks
Carl's Place
- DrakeCafés
Zanzibar's Coffee Adventure
- DrakeActivity
Salisbury House & Gardens
Wheelchair access - DrakeCafés
Crème
LGBTQ+ friendlyWheelchair access - DrakeDining
Proudfoot & Bird
- DrakeDrinks
The Bartender's Handshake
- DrakeCafés
Mars Cafe
- DrakeCafés
Friedrichs Coffee
- DrakeActivity
The Ingersoll
LGBTQ+ friendlyGood for groups