ZIPs confuse Indian Trail town dwellers

You don't have to change the zip code. Assume you live in Indian Trail, but your mailing address says Matthews.
All that is neccessary is to change the name of the town to Indian Trail. The mail is sorted according to the zipcode as before, and will be delivered as before to your street address. The zipcode remains the same.

Try it out. Send a letter to yourself. Use the correct zip code, but write Indian Trail instead of Matthews. I am pretty sure the letter will be delivered to your correct street address in Indian Trail.
I am sure the Post office will have no problem as your letter contains your correct street address and correct zip code.

I had thought the same but apparently not so. It would create confusion and your mail could go to either post office or just be returned.

PObx wrote:

I had thought the same but apparently not so. It would create confusion and your mail could go to either post office or just be returned.

i think xerox is right. Address something to Weddington, 28104 and they'll get it, it just goes thru the Matthews post office or Lake Park, 28079. It's not the city, it is the zip code.

But, will that screw up searches by 911 dispatch, do they use zip codes?

Towns like Lake Park and Weddington don't have a Post office of their own. Indian Trail does which would cause the confusion.

PObx wrote:

Towns like Lake Park and Weddington don't have a Post office of their own. Indian Trail does which would cause the confusion.

That's right about no post offices in those towns. That's why the zip is important. It directs the mail to the proper post office, city name doesn't matter.

[In reply to all 5 previous comments. The zip code specifies which post office the mail will go thru for delivery to any particular street address. Several small towns in Union County do not have their own post office and are therefore serviced by a neighboring post office. And, some towns are actually serviced by two different post offices because the post office determines their own bounderies for delivery. They do not care if those bounderies cross split a town, other counties or even into other states. Example: Part of Weddington is serviced by Waxhaw PO using 28173 and part by Matthews 28104 (by the way if you are in Union Ct and serviced by the Matthews PO, your zip should be 28104, not 28105 - DMV started that several years ago so that vehicle property tax bills are sent from the right county. Believe me, if you are in Union you do not want to be billed by Meck, there's is a lot higher.) Also, Fairview is serviced partly by Indian Trail 28079 and partly by Monroe 28110. To make things more confusing, our neighbors to the north - up Hwy 601 are serviced by Midland (Cabarrus Ct) and some of our southern neighbors are serviced by Pageland SC 29728. Monroe has 3 zips. If you have a PO Box your zip is 28111. If you live north of the railroad tracks that go from Wingate thru Monroe towards Waxhaw your zip is 28110 and if you live south of the tracks, your zip is 28112. As one of the folks said, try it. Mail yourself a letter and leave off the town but put the zip. Even better yet, send a second one with a different town but the correct zip. I bet you'll get them sent to yourself. Or maybe not, we are talking about the post office here.]

(In reply to all 5 previous comments. The zip code specifies which post office the mail will go thru for delivery to any particular street address. Several small towns in Union County do not have their own post office and are therefore serviced by a neighboring post office. And, some towns are actually serviced by two different post offices because the post office determines their own bounderies for delivery. They do not care if those bounderies cross split a town, other counties or even into other states. Example: Part of Weddington is serviced by Waxhaw PO using 28173 and part by Matthews 28104 (by the way if you are in Union Ct and serviced by the Matthews PO, your zip should be 28104, not 28105 - DMV started that several years ago so that vehicle property tax bills are sent from the right county. Believe me, if you are in Union you do not want to be billed by Meck, there's is a lot higher.) Also, Fairview is serviced partly by Indian Trail 28079 and partly by Monroe 28110. To make things more confusing, our neighbors to the north - up Hwy 601 are serviced by Midland (Cabarrus Ct) and some of our southern neighbors are serviced by Pageland SC 29728. Monroe has 3 zips. If you have a PO Box your zip is 28111. If you live north of the railroad tracks that go from Wingate thru Monroe towards Waxhaw your zip is 28110 and if you live south of the tracks, your zip is 28112. As one of the folks said, try it. Mail yourself a letter and leave off the town but put the zip. Even better yet, send a second one with a different town but the correct zip. I bet you'll get them sent to yourself. Or maybe not, we are talking about the post office here.)

We've lived in the Matthews 28105 zip 29+ years. First 25 yrs in one house initially in unincorporated Mecklenburg then(the same house)5 yrs later was annexed into Charlotte, while only one block from the Matthews line. We're now 4 yrs in Indian Trail, 3 houses from the Mecklenburg line, but still are in Matthews 28105. Same phone # also. So,there's no need to change as far as we're concerned. Just keep it less "taxing" folks!

Yours is a situation similar to many in the area. Just curious when asked where you live what do you say ?

PObox wrote:

Yours is a situation similar to many in the area. Just curious when asked where you live what do you say ?

Matthews, of course. We enjoy the IT (Union) library & frequent some IT stores but after almost 30 years connections are mostly Matthews & South Charlotte.

I should have said Trailer not Trader. Slip of the fingers. By the way, is that newspaper dead?

The paper is still around but not much local news anymore.:(

I think you have proved the point that your mailing address is more than just where your mail goes.
There are so many great folks like yourself that are Indian Trail residents but feel more like they are a part of Matthews or Monroe.