searching for zipcode: where to start?

hello, I want to create a database search with php/mysql that searches for zipcodes in a database. of course, there will be other columns/tables and such to be printed, but I only want to search for the zipcodes and have the other cells printed if the following criteria are found: lets say I search for the zipcode 90232...it would return like so.... 1. search returns 3 closest matches John Doe 90232 Red Corvette Mary Jones 90235 Silver Camaro Peter Gooding 90065 Blue Honda et.... -> the search will generate only "3" returns...either 3 exact matches, in this case 90232 or (1, or 2) and the closest....Basically the search will ALWAYS return 3 results, either exact matches or closest matches..any combination......so every entry in the database is a potential match...just the 3 closest what is the best way to go about doing this? _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp