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

8.7
Great
263 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 8.7/10, based on 263 renter reviews Write a review

9.4
Location
7.4
Amenities
8.1
Management
8.7
Value
7.6
Social
9.2
Safety
Excellent
139
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

Optima Horizons

Great condo building with a lot of Kellogg students. Great location. Only pain comes from approx 1/2 of the building not being Kellogg students and occasional misalignment between Kelloggers and longer-term residents.

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  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Nice Condo building for Kellogg Students

Great location - central to downtown Evanston and 9 minutes from Jake. Building is a condo, so rent from owner. Beautiful view - try to get the #XX09 units if possible. 24 Hr doorman is helpful for packages, and parking garage is covered. Prices are a bit more expensive, but not as much as some of the newer condos more far away.

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  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Very Glad I Live Here

I think Optima Horizons is the most ideal place for a Kellogg student to stay. It's right next to downtown Evanston and 8 minutes walking distance from the Jake. The management is good and the front desk personnel are extremely nice. Covered parking is also a big plus.

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

Highly Recommended

Opitma Horizons is close to the Jake and has a ton of Kellogg students. Highly recommended.

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

Optima Horizon is in a great location.

It's only a 10 minute walk to the Jacob Center and also close to the restaurants and bars. Lots of Kellogg students in the building. You can hear the train when it passes if you are on even numbered apartments facing the train tracks; but you get kind of used to it and it no longer bothers me. I think the prices if great compared to Park Evanston and Evanston Place who have older finishings.

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  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
9
Excellent
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Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Great place to live

Great location (<10 minute walk to Kellogg), a good gym (so I didn't need a gym membership), and 24-hour concierge. The apartment comes with a yard/ patio, which is extremely rare in apartment buildings. Some patio furniture is included. It's a really nice place to relax or have dinner- I used it a lot when the weather was nice in the fall, spring, and summer.

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

Nice management, great building

Very friendly landlord and management. Pretty strict on move-in/move-out and trash rules, but not too hard to to follow once you get used to it.

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  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
9
Excellent
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Location
Amenities
Management
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Kellogg "Dorm"

We contacted 2nd year students who were graduating to rent the place. The apartment is great, 2 bedroom + den with a nice living room. The building is full of Kellogg students which makes it really convenient. Location is perfect, <10min walk from school and right downtown.

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  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Optima Horizons

Great building

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

Great Apt with Ton of Kellogg Students

There are so many Kellogg students that live here, which is great because you can run into classmates in the elevator, halls, etc. Management is pretty helpful, although they are pretty particular with some of their rules. Overall, its a great apartment, in a great location!

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  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths

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
$
2,300
1 Bedroom
$
2,600
2 Bedroom
$
3,300

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
Lots of apartments and family homes in the area. I always see someone riding their bike or walking throughout the day. It's a block from the police station, and only 2-3 blocks to downtown. Close to intercampus shuttle, 201 bus stop (3 blocks), and Dempster purple line (1.5 blocks). Nice area to live, quiet at night.
Downtown Evanston is a great place to live if you're a NU student. It's super easy to get to campus via either walking or the bus, and has convenient groceries within walking distance. The food scene is not the best, but good enough.
Evanston is the epitome of a college town, everything you need and most of what you want is within a 10 minute walk.
I really enjoy living in downtown Evanston. Everything that I need is within walking distance, and it is a 10-15 minute walk to my classes.
Safe, walkable area, even late at night depending on the streets you take. Great for convenience in terms of getting to campus, no car needed, access to many public transit options. You lose out in terms of cheap food options and fun nightlife - there are only a couple of bars open after 9PM on the weekends and for cheap food you're stuck with Chipotle or at best Tomate. But the lake and beach are within walking distance and you live close to other NU students making it well worth it for me.
Evanston really is a nice town. There's loads of food, both chains and otherwise, and a number of shops and things if you don't mind moving around a little. Driving in the greater Evanston area is not a lot of fun, I will say. I get the sense that the city doesn't much like the University and its constituents, and that the students don't always respect the city. It's not a perfect relationship, but it works. I can easily walk or take transit to class on the Evanston campus, and when I have class in Chicago I take transit, which usually takes more than an hour in the morning and close to an hour coming home.
Downtown Evanston is super cute! There are tons of restaurants and a handful of bars so I find that it offers a good bit of variety for the neighborhood size. There are street festivals, a great farmers market, summer concerts in the square and other community events I've enjoyed. Would highly recommend Evanston anyone who wants access to the city but a self-sufficient "urban burb" type neighborhood.
Pros: Great location near key Kellogg hangouts like World of Beer, Nevins, Five and Dime, Prairie Moon, etc. Also convenient to Bennison's Bakery! Great for late nights- can get home in < 5 minutes without ubering. Also near both Metra and L- ideal if you plan to spend some of your time in downtown Chicago.

Cons: Long walk from the Global hub. Closest grocery store is Whole Foods, a bit of a hike to TJ's and Jewel.

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