The Horizon Corporation bought up large tracts of land in the southwestern United States, including eastern El Paso County, platted them into subdivisions, and sold lots in them to thousands of people worldwide, often sight unseen, often without access to water or utilities and using questionable sales tactics, between 1962 and 1975.

Much of the land to the east of town consists of undeveloped subdivisions with highly fragmented ownership.

The lots in these subdivisions cannot be legally sold and will be difficult to develop due to the 1994 Texas Colonia Act, a state law intended to stop the development of colonias, or neighborhoods underserved by utilities whose residents often live in substandard conditions.

[7][9] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.7 square miles (22.6 km2), all land.

The corporation has the power to use sales tax funds to help eligible companies with relocations, expansions, and site development.

It can acquire property, finance infrastructure projects, and spend funds for a variety of quality-of-life improvements.

The zoned schools are: The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the El Paso II District Parole Office in an unincorporated area east of Horizon City.