Ingersoll & North of Grand

The Insider's Choice

If you ask Des Moines locals for their favorite "in-the-know" neighborhood, Ingersoll and North of Grand consistently rise to the top. This isn't the flashiest address or the newest development — it's something better: a genuine, lived-in neighborhood where tree-lined streets connect historic homes to one of the city's best dining and shopping corridors.

The Ingersoll Avenue corridor forms the spine of this area, connecting downtown to the western suburbs through a delightful stretch of locally-owned restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques, and service businesses. Unlike suburban strip malls, Ingersoll feels walkable, human-scaled, and distinctly Des Moines.

The residential streets north and south of the corridor — often called "The Avenues" — feature homes built from the 1910s through the 1950s. Craftsman bungalows, Tudor revivals, Cape Cods, and stately colonials sit on mature, landscaped lots. These are homes with character: hardwood floors, built-in bookcases, sun porches, and the kind of details that require craftsmen who no longer exist.

What makes this area special is the balance. You're five minutes from downtown, ten minutes from West Des Moines, and walking distance to some of the best food in the city. Yet you're also in a quiet, established neighborhood where neighbors know each other and kids still play in front yards.