Both neighborhoods were developed in the early 20th century with a mix of Victorian, Craftsman, and early 20th-century bungalows. The neighborhoods have a nice mix of students and families with more families living in Drake Park. Both communities also have walkable access to the University Avenue Business District and easy access to Dwtn (only a 10 minute drive and 20 minute bus ride).

Drake Park and Carpenter have been located on Des Moines’ racial blight line (MLK and Forest Ave) for many decades and you can tell as homes are worth less than its adjacent neighborhood Drake to the West. Carpenter has experienced as decent amount of blight and demolition as well. MLK and Forest avenues are actually pretty blighted along with the eastern half of University Ave. Redeveloping these important corridors and building new in-fill in the Carpenter neighborhood are key improvements to move these neighborhoods into the same urban category as Drake. Other important urban improvements include better bike infrastructure, more well rated schools, more diverse housing stock, more parks, and several important retail amenities (i.e. supermarket, drug store, and local shops). But the momentum seems to be in place as University and Forest Avenue have seen some new construction recently. Now is the chance for affordable housing to be constructed in anticipation of revitalization and gentrification.

Click here to view my Carpenter Album and here to view my Drake Park Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Solid urban density.
* Excellent racial diversity and decent economic diversity but Carpenter Park is significantly poorer and less economically diverse than Drake Park.
* Overall safe community but a some blight and a decent # of vacant lots in Carpenter.
* Very good sidewalk and ADA curb cut infrastructure throughout both neighborhoods.
* Good tree canopy.
* Decent cultural amenities including several restaurants, bars and especially cafes, a couple live music venues, a historic theater, and the cultural amenities of Drake University a couple blocks away.
* Decent retail amenities include a hardware store, several banks,  a couple dessert joints, several salons & barbers, several churches including a Bascilica, a post office, and a couple medical offices.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

• Few family households living here.
• Bike infrastructure is virtually non-existent. Decent in neighboring Drake University however.
• Some rentals but generally very affordable and not much price point diversity.
• For sale market is pretty limited across but neighborhoods but particularly depressed in Carpenter. In Drake Park larger renovated homes top out at 380K with high prices closer to the Drake neighborhood.
• Only one elementary public school in the neighborhood and its not rated well.
• So so park amenities with Drake Park being the premier one. The decent size Good Park is only several blocks east of Drake Park but not parks in Carpenter.
• Missing a full service supermarket, drug store & local public library. There are also few boutiques and unique gift shops, and not as many overall retail services as you would expect for a stable neighborhood hosting a college.
• Good urban form on the two blocks of University closed to the Drake Neighborhood but falls off pretty quickly as it moves eastwards. MLK and Forest are also quasi-commercial streets but pretty blighted. They more or less form the boundaries to Des Moines’ most blighted and poorest community to the north and to the east.”