Blog Post

Zip Codes are Nothing But Numbers—Horizon West is Our Hometown!

Sep 02, 2020

Why Doesn't My Mailing Address Say Horizon West, FL?

Where Do You Really Live?

Did you know that ZIP codes do not represent geographic regions? In general, they correspond to postal delivery routes. Depending on where you live in Horizon West, your mail is currently served through the long-established post offices of Windermere, Winter Garden or Orlando, so your mailing address includes one of those cities and zip codes.

Despite what the post office says, if you live in Horizon West, you don’t actually live in Windermere, Winter Garden or Orlando!

Horizon West is a master-planned community unto itself in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. It consists of five villages and a town center as shown in the map below.

Unincorporated What?

Any area in Orange County that falls outside the limits of an incorporated town or city is referred to as Unincorporated Orange County. For us here in Horizon West, that simply means that we have no local "city government,” so basic safety and utility services are provided to us by Orange County government. This includes, among other things, police services via Orange County Sheriff’s Office, fire protection and emergency medical services via Orange County Fire Rescue, and water, trash, and recycling via Orange County Utilities.

What Does That Mean for Us?

Since Horizon West residents live outside the city limits and are not taxed by Windermere, Winter Garden or Orlando, these local governments do not provide us with city services, funding for events, economic development, or anything at all.

Horizon West is our hometown, and it is up to all of us as community members to create our own future that’s as bright and sunny as Central Florida itself!

At Horizon West Magazine, we are big believers in hometown spirit, and we are quite possibly the biggest cheerleaders of Horizon West that you will ever meet! We have made it our mission to educate, support and inspire residents to create what they want to be part of.

Your Hometown Needs You!

Local Horizon West business owners and residents are in the unique position of sowing the seeds of our community’s future. Together, we can fill the gap between receiving basic county services and creating a thriving community we are proud to call our home. We can start building momentum by sharing our Horizon West pride with each other and the world!

Get Connected with Your HW Neighbors & Community News

With so many new residents, businesses, services and organizations that can contribute to you and your family living your best life here in Horizon West, make sure you check out all the ways to be up to date on what Horizon West Magazine shares: bookmark and visit our website regularly for new content, keep a copy of our annual printed magazine around your house, connect with us on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to our monthly SPOTLIGHT eBlast.

Together, they provide in-depth information that will make it easy to connect with neighbors and enjoy all of the events, restaurants, shops, clubs and groups, and entertainment coming to life in our community.