Welcome to Beaverdale! Nestled in the heart of Northwest Des Moines, Beaverdale is one of Des Moines’ most well-known neighborhoods and its residents carry an abundance of neighborhood pride – and rightly so! This neighborhood has a strong sense of community and a lot to offer – quaint streets, weekly Farmer’s Market, charming “Beaverdale Brick” homes, conveniently concentrated shopping center, and several parks and green spaces for residents to enjoy. It’s no wonder I am always hearing from clients “we would love to live in Beaverdale!”

Des Moines Neighborhood Guide: Beaverdale

Community Highlights

Parks

  • Ashby Park – Playground, Splash Pool, Tennis/Pickleball Courts, Nature Trail
  • Beaverdale Park – Playground, Bike Trail Access
  • Tower Park – Playground, Sprayground, Basketball & Tennis/Pickleball Courts
  • Westchester Park – Playground
  • Witmer Park – Playground, Tennis/Pickleball Courts, Pond & Fishing Dock, Walking/Bike Path
  • Riverview Park – Community Stage + Playground

Pools

  • Northwest Aquatic Center

Public Libraries

  • Franklin Library

Community Events

  • Beaverdale Neighborhood Association Easter Egg Hunt – March or April
  • Farmer’s Market – Franklin School – Tuesdays 4-7pm, June-September
  • Beaverdale Bluegrass Festival – July
  • Fall Festival & Parade – September

Schools

  • Elementary – Perkins, Hillis, Moore, Monroe
  • Middle – Meredith, Merrill
  • High School – Roosevelt High School, Hoover High School
  • Catholic – Holy Trinity (PreK-8th Grade)

Living Here

Primarily known for its charming brick homes fondly referred to as “Beaverdale Bricks”, many of the homes in Beaverdale were built from 1920s – 1940s in a bungalow or 1.5 story style. Because of its desirability, the median sale price for a 3 bedroom home in this neighborhood is almost 17% higher than the median 3 bedroom in the City of DSM for the same time period. Residents in Beaverdale can benefit from loan programs through Neighborhood Finance Corporation and, specifically in the Franklin Special Investment District, INVEST DSM.

Curious about housing prices in these neighborhoods over the last 12 months? You can view homes currently for sale in the area here, or here are some stats and prices from our Des Moines Area MLS and Rentometer.com

Local Business Spotlights

Beaverdale Books 

Beaverdale Books – to me, a neighborhood staple – has been serving the community for over 18 years! On top of stocking a wide range of reading material, they go above and beyond to provide opportunities for people in the community to explore their love of reading and books, sponsoring several reading and writing events in the community as well as in their shop like book clubs, readings, and Meet the Author events! Something I love about this shop is their dedication to local authors – supporting and representing over 500 local authors in their “Iowa Authors” section.

Rooted Yoga & Fitness

Whether you’re new to moving your body with intention or a seasoned fitness enthusiast, you will love the welcoming environment that Rooted provides! They offer regular classes for yoga, strength, dance fitness, and more as part of their monthly membership, but they also offer drop-ins, $8 rotating “Fun Fridays” classes and occasional Community classes for free-will donation. In the spirit of inclusivity and community, Rooted offers a pay-what-you-can option for their monthly membership which is think is really special

Basic Bird

Nothing basic about the food here. From the team behind Harbinger on Ingersoll, Basic Bird serves up crispy Korean fried chicken with banchan sides and dumplings that are absolutely delicious – with plenty of options that are gluten free! Order your chicken or cauliflower with the Double Dunk sauce and thank me later.

What’s in the Neighborhood?

Good Eats & Drinks

Shopping & Small Business

Coffee

Grocery

There are over 50 neighborhoods within the city of Des Moines. The goal of this Neighborhood Guide series is not to promote one neighborhood of Des Moines over another, but to highlight what is special within each neighborhood and area.

Have a DSM neighborhood you love? Click the link below to let us know where we should “move” to next.

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About Emily, DSMG Contributor + Licensed Des Moines Realtor:

Hi, I’m Emily Miller! I traded the suburbs of St. Louis for the fields of Iowa when I moved to Des Moines in 2014 to attend Drake University. By day (and let’s be real – most evenings and weekends) I work as a REALTOR, but in my free time I love hitting up local coffee shops, breweries and restaurants with my husband and friends. There is a lot to love about our little city, and I love that part of my job as a REALTOR is to help people find a community here where they can really thrive. Licensed REALTOR in the state of Iowa with the Hokel Real Estate Team, Century 21 Signature Real Estate.