Downtown Des Moines

Downtown Des Moines
A portion of the downtown Des Moines skyline.
Nickname(s): "Hartford of the West"
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Counties	Polk County
City	Des Moines
Elevation	955 ft (291 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	5,431
ZIP code	50309, 50319, 50391, and 50392
Area code(s)	515
Website	http://www.downtowndesmoines.com

Downtown Des Moines is the central business district of Des Moines, Iowa and the Greater Des Moines Metropolitan Area. Downtown Des Moines is defined by the City of Des Moines as located between the Des Moines River to the east, the Raccoon River to the south, Center Street to the north, and 18th and 15th Streets to the west.

In 2014, Downtown Des Moines was listed as one of the top 5 up-and-coming downtowns by Fortune.com.

As of the 2010 Census, Downtown Des Moines, including the East Village, had a population of 5,431 with a total of 3,667 housing units, with 3,085 of those being occupied.

According to the 2010 Census, 70.1% of the population was white; 20.8% was Black or African American; 4.7% was Asian; 1.9% was American Indian or Alaska Native; 0.2% was Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; and 5.7% reported Other. Of these percentages, 10.6% reported as white also reported Hispanic or Latino descent. The average household size was 1.58 members per household while the average family size was 2.83 members per family.

Downtown Des Moines boasts several corporate campuses, with Principal Financial Group's global headquarters calling downtown home. Other major corporations and downtown employers include Wellmark, Nationwide, Meredith Corporation, Voya, Wells Fargo, Banker's Trust, Ruan Transportation, and EMC Insurance Company. Many of these companies have made huge investments into downtown by building large, impressive corporate campuses. Most notable is Principal Financial Group's 801 Grand and surrounding campus, which is currently undergoing a $397 million renovation.

Downtown Des Moines is connected to I-235, which runs past the north portion of downtown and connects downtown to I-80 and I-35. Other major thoroughfares connecting downtown to the remainder of the city are Fleur Drive, Martin Luther King, Jr. Parkway and Keosauqua Way. Major streets in downtown are Locust Street, Grand Ave, and Court Ave.