Home  >  Chicago  >  Evanston  >  Downtown Evanston Apartments  >  Optima Horizons

High-rise Condo
Downtown Evanston, 800 Elgin Rd | Evanston
Overview
Photos
Amenities

Top Amenities

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  •  24-Hour Front Desk
  •  Cat friendly
  •  Dog friendly
  •  Fitness Center
  •  Granite Countertops
  •  Hardwood Floors
  •  Indoor Pool
  •  Oversize or penthouse units
  •  Parking Garage  
  •  Stainless Steel Appliances
  •  Walk-in Closets
  •  Washer/Dryer In Unit

User Rating

8.5
Great
259 Reviews

About this Location

Whole Foods Market
10 min walk
UP-N (rail) - 5 min
208/250 (bus) - 4 min
The Lakefill
18 min walk
Lots of bars and
restaurants nearby

Pricing 

1 Bedroom, 1 Bath
$2,495+
2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths
$2,850+
3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths
$4,600+
Schedule Appointment At
(872) 704-8022
  • Bedrooms

    •  Walk-in Closets
  • Included

    •  Gas Included
    •  Heat Included
    •  Water Included
  • Kitchen

    •  Dishwasher
    •  Garbage Disposal
    •  Granite Countertops
    •  Microwave
    •  Refrigerator
    •  Stainless Steel Appliances
    •  Stove & Oven
  • Laundry

    •  Washer/Dryer In Unit
  • Living Room

    •  Air Conditioning
    •  Hardwood Floors
    •  Large Windows
    •  Lots of Sunlight
  • Parking & Transportation

    •  Parking Garage  
  • Pet Terms & Amenities

    •  Cat friendly
    •  Dog friendly
  • Security & Maintenance

    •  24-Hour Front Desk
  • Sports & Fitness

    •  Fitness Center
    •  Indoor Pool
  • Storage

    •  Additional Storage Available
  • Unique Unit Types

    •  Oversize or penthouse units
X

Overall rating 8.5/10, based on 259 renter reviews Write a review

9.4
Location
7.4
Amenities
8.0
Management
8.7
Value
7.7
Social
9.2
Safety
Excellent
135
Great
98
Good
26
Average
0
Terrible
0

Optima Horizons reviews and highlights

  • Modern finishings and appliances
  • Gorgeous view of Lake Michigan
  • Indoor parking garage is a big plus in the winter
  • Excellent amenities
  • Expensive for Evanston
  • Great bathrooms
  • Indoor Pool is great for kids
  • Great for retirees and seniors
  • Building is clean and well maintained
  • 5-10 min walk to bars and restaurants
  • Lots of sunlight
  • Condo rules can be strict
  • Allows large dogs
  • Great place to live
  • Tons of Kellogg students
  • Amenities in units vary
  • Building is pretty quiet if you aren't on the side next to train tracks
  • Friendly landlord and management
  • Gym is small, but enough for simple workouts
  • Front desk personnel are extremely nice
  • Floor to ceiling windows
  • Fee required to reserve the elevator
  • Fantastic location
Filter reviews for
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Great building

Great location, so many Kellogg students in the building makes it a great place to meet people, and the apartments have all the amenities you would need for the next two years.

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  • Couple
  • 1 bed / 1 bath
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Great for Kellogg Students

Very close to campus, and will still be a short walk when the new Kellogg building is completed. Condo association allows us to sublet the two parking spots that came with our unit (number of spots differs for each unit), which brings in approx $180 ($90/space) per month, which more than covers any utilities. Lots of Kellogg students live here. Would definitely recommend.

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  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
8
Great
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Highly Recommend Optima Horizons

Great location, one of the closest to campus and tons of Kellogg people in the building. Ideally suited for access to campus, trains to Chicago, and walking to restaurants, bars, and Whole Foods in downtown Evanston. Highly recommend Optima Horizons

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  • Couple
  • Family w/ children
  • Pet owner
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Great Units, Close to the Jake

It's new, median priced for the area, close to school, and has good amenities.

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  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
8
Great
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Optima Horizons

Great location. It is close to downtown and Kellogg. The management is very nice. One side of the building is a train track, and you can hear the trains.

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Reviewed by
 
  • Couple
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
10
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Optima Horizons (1BR + Den)

Great location and great building. The building is 50% Kellogg Students (the rest are senior citizens) and is close to campus and to downtown Evanston. All of the units are a little different and have different layouts so the price varies accordingly. The only downside is that there is noise from the train, but you get used to it really quickly. There is a small gym and an indoor swimming pool. The staff are very helpful and its great to get an email notification when an Amazon package arrives for you :-)

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  • Couple
  • 1 bed / 1 bath
8
Great
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Condo near Northwestern/Downtown Evanston with lots of Amenities

My condo has more amenities than the standard Evanston apartment/condo. It has in-unit washer/dryer, granite counter tops, gym/ indoor pool, heated parking, doorman, an extra den that could an extra bed room, etc. The unit is 925 square feet. The one down side is the central air, meaning that there is not a thermostat where you can set a temperature that turns the system on/off -- there is only an on/off & low/medium/high switch that you can control the air speed.

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  • Couple
  • 1 bed / 1 bath
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Great Experience at Optima Horizons

Great building!

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Reviewed by
 
  • Couple
  • 1 bed / 1 bath
7
Good
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Solid condo for Kellogg students

Optima Horizons provides nicely updated, modern condos that are central to everything Kellogg as well as downtown Evanston. Pets are allowed in the building (which is not the case everywhere in Evanston) the staff is generally friendly, and you have a covered spot to park your car (really nice when it's way below zero outside).

I won't lie, Optima Horizons is an expensive community. And the value that you get for those dollars does not go particularly far (there is no building social scene to speak of, the gym is modestly appointed at best, and there is not really an indoor space to host events). A lot of your experience will also depend on your landlord. He/She may not allow pets and the condition of each individual unit (hardwood vs. carpet, updated vs. dated cabinets, quality of the appliances) will vary. No spot in the building is "bad," per se, but the aesthetics of each unit are different.

Overall, I've had no major complaints about living here. The distance to both school and things to do in town is clutch, which matters a lot given all that will happen in your two years at Kellogg!

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  • Couple
  • Pet owner
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
10
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

1.5 bedrooms at Optima Horizons

Great view to the lake, quiet, great location- definitely recommend

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  • Couple
  • 1 bed / 1 bath

The Neighborhood

Signature Spots

dining 29 Recs

Buffalo Joe’s
Bat 17
Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza
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grocery 2 Recs

Whole Foods Market
Trader Joe’s
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convenience 2 Recs

Walgreens
7-Eleven
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fitness 34 Recs

Pure Barre
Evanston Athletic Club
TITLE Boxing Club
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parks 7 Recs

Dawes Park
City of Evanston Recreation Divisi…
Merrick Rose Garden
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coffee 14 Recs

Andy’s Frozen Custard
Bennison’s Bakery
Unicorn Cafe
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About Downtown Evanston

Since it's home to Northwestern, Downtown Evanston is the most popular residential area for Kellogg students. Most apartment buildings in Downtown Evanston are a 20 minute walk from the Donald P. Jacobs Center, and several public transport options can cut that commute even further. This safe and hig...
Walkable
Easy Commute
Great Location
Student Friendly
Social Community
Great Accessibility
Proximity To Amenities
Median rents in Downtown Evanston
Studio
$
1,650
1 Bedroom
$
2,100
2 Bedroom
$
2,150

Getting around Downtown Evanston


Parking at Optima Horizons

Parking Garage

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Parking Near Optima Horizons

Parking rates are for informational purposes only and may vary — for most up to date pricing, please reach out to the garage directly.

Downtown Evanston Reviews

546 reviews
Downtown Evanston has everything you need. E2 is walkable to campus, a Target, and plenty of restaurants, as well as Metra and L stations to get to Chicago. Right across the street is a Subway, a Thai restaurant, and a pizza place, plus there’s a 7-Eleven about a block away, so you’re very close to options if you need food in a pinch.
Perfect for grad school at Northwestern, but otherwise feels a bit suburban without a booming downtown. There are some good food/bar options, but also a handful of abandoned/empty retail locations -- I'm hoping that means new coffee shops/food venues are coming, but it doesn't look like it just yet.
All in all ideal downtown Evanston location. Very convenient for public transportation to Chicago, next door to local favorite Bennison's (love the late night smell of donuts baking), and walking distance to plenty of bars, restaurants, and stores. Once the Target goes up by Sherman Plaza and we have an alternative to Whole Foods close by this will be perfect.
McManus is located right next to Evanston downtown, so everything (restaurants, bars, groceries) is very close by. It's also right next to Northwestern campus (~15-18 minutes to Kellogg Global Hub by foot), which helps quite a lot, esp. in the winter when you'd want to keep your commute as short as possible.
There's plenty to do, but it still takes some effort to get downtown. If you want the quickest ride (metra), then you have to plan ahead and deal with the (infrequent) train schedule. The purple line only runs express during rush hour. Depending on the time of day, your commute can run 20 minutes to an hour and a half.
I would 100% live in Evanston when choosing where to live for my time at Kellogg. There are plenty of amenities of all sorts - everything from two (!) Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's to amazing restaurants (Stained Glass, Boltwood, Found) and quick joints (Freshii, Cozy, Blaze, Cheesie's, etc.) to good bars ranging from dive-y (Bat 17) to more upscale (Bangers & Lace) to great retail, workout options (barre, boxing, and regular gyms), salons, and handy storefronts like hardware, cleaners, etc. Feels like home very quickly!
I live just south of the main downtown area, and it's the perfect intersection of being close to the action but also a bit removed when you want some quiet. I like being a in a more residential pocket, so there is slightly less foot traffic and really nice areas to walk around with a dog, etc.
We're one block from the centre of downtown Evanston. Clearly Evanston isn't going to win any awards for nightlife, culture or dynamism. But, you're not going to get than anywhere near campus. Good news is you're 2 blocks from Davis, which gets you to downtown Chicago in 30 mins.

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