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
10
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Happy Kellogg Student

This is the best apartment for Kellogg students and JVs to stay in. Great community within the apartment building, good amenities and decent pricing. Happy I am here--no regrets!

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Reviewed by
 
  • Couple
  • Family w/ children
  • Roommates
  • Pet owner
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
8
Great
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Solid apartment choice

My wife and I rent a 1 Bedroom + Den in Optima Horizons. Each unit can be very different (condo building), but ours is nice as it has new appliances and hardwood floors. As with every condo building, unit owners can be great or not so great. Ours is relatively unresponsive and the building management is not that good. But it is a solid price, solid amenities and is more spacious than other high rise apartment buildings.

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Reviewed by
 
  • Couple
  • Roommates
  • Pet owner
  • 1 bed / 1 bath
10
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Great location, best apt for large breed dog owners

Large apartments, great views, attentive staff. Also one of the few buildings that doesn’t charge pet rent and allows large dogs (most buildings in Evanston don’t allow more than 30 lbs!)

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Reviewed by
 
  • Roommates
  • Pet owner
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
9
Excellent
Overall score

Great location and plenty of students

Love the location (one of the closer buildings to campus, while still close to downtown Evanston)

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Reviewed by
 
  • Couple
  • Pet owner
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
8
Great
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Expensive but worth it

While certainly not cheap, Optima Horizons provides good value for an apartment building with amenities because it includes internet, cable, water, and parking. Additionally, for someone interested in living alone, I highly recommend this building because there will be so many other Kellogg students living there as well. It has the convenience of a dorm, with much more privacy.

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Reviewed by
 
  • 1 bed / 1 bath
10
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

LOVE IT

best bang for your buck

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

Condo close to campus

Great condo - some weird rules and force you into 2 year lease. But besides that everything else is aite.

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

Great location, nice units, lots of Kellogg students

-Location is great (closer to school than most buildings, and close to downtown Evanston)
-Units vary by owner (some are outdated, some are flashy, mine was in the middle)
-Residents are about half Kellogg students and half retirees
-Lots of building rules, but haven't been a problem
-Indoor parking is nice

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

Perfect place to live for grad school

I am extremely satisfied with my Optima Horizons apartment. It’s spacious, I have an attentive landlord, building management is very responsive (albeit strict on things like summer subletting), and I like the amenities. Price is still higher than it should be for Evanston but way cheaper than a major US city for what you get. Each unit is different so you should shop around to find the right unit set up for you.

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Reviewed by
 
  • Couple
  • 1 bed / 2 baths
8
Great
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Great

Great apartment if you are willing to spend for a slightly nicer place.

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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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Back

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

UP-N (rail)

5 min

Purple

5 min

208/250 (bus)

4 min

93 (bus)

3 min

213 (bus)

4 min

201 (bus)

4 min

Parking at Optima Horizons

Parking Garage

, , , ,

Parking Near Optima Horizons

City of Evans 1800 Maple Self Park Garage

5 min
$110 / month

City of Evans Sherman Plaza Self Park

5 min
$95 / month

E2 Apartments

8 min
$145 / month
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

506 reviews
Reviewed by Kellogg MBA Student living at E2 Apartments
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.
Reviewed by Kellogg MBA Student living at John Evans Building
Close to downtown Evanston but a bit far from E2/the reserve. One of closest apartments to Trader Joes/Whole Foods/Jewel Osco while also being close to campus. Very close to the lake!
Reviewed by Kellogg MBA Student living at Optima Horizons
Downtown Evanston has everything you need from a downtown including grocery stores, restaurants, and convenience stores.
Reviewed by Kellogg MBA Student living at Centrum Evanston
Downtown Evanston is great - plenty of great food within walking distance, Metra and El trains right nearby, a really nice place to be. Only downside is it's far from school and the only truly walkable grocery store is a Whole Foods, which can get expensive. Overall, wouldn't want to live elsewhere though.
Reviewed by Kellogg MBA Student living at Evanston Place
Close to grocery stores and restaurants. Very easy access to Lake Michigan as well!
Reviewed by Kellogg MBA Student living at Albion Evanston
There isn't much to do here, but that's true pretty much everywhere in Evanston. We're in walking distance to all of "downtown" Evanston, so restaurants / fast food / subway, etc. It's a slightly longer walk than desired to Kellogg, but that's fine.
Reviewed by Kellogg MBA Student living at Optima Horizons
The apartment is central to downtown and is walking distance to most bars, restaurants, shops, beach, etc. Evanston is a bit of a sleepy town (especially during the pandemic...I've been told it was much more vibrant pre-pandemic).
Reviewed by Kellogg MBA Student living at 1454 Oak Ave
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.

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