Elon Musk is pursuing a bold plan that not everyone dares to do: build his own town in Texas.
Vision of building “Starbase ”
For years, Musk has been toying with the idea of a town called Starbase in the South Texas coastal region where SpaceX is headquartered. However, the idea has been hampered by strict Texas regulations requiring a sufficient number of residents and approval from local voters.SpaceX employees in the area recently officially began the first steps in the town’s creation process, including collecting signatures and submitting a petition to Cameron County. According to documents shared , Starbase is described as having about 500 residents, mostly employees, living near the rocket launch site in Boca Chica. At about 1,400 square miles, the community is larger than New York’s Central Park.
If approved, voters will elect three key town positions, including mayor, a position that could go to Gunnar Milburn, SpaceX’s chief security officer, sources say.
Ambitious Plan in Texas
Musk isn’t stopping at Starbase . He also dreams of an “ideal Texas” along the Colorado River, where employees from companies like SpaceX, Tesla, and Boring could live and work in affordable housing. Since 2020, Musk’s companies have purchased more than 3,500 acres of land in Austin, an area four times the size of Central Park. Some reports even suggest that Musk’s total land holdings in the area could be as high as 6,000 acres.Musk has already started building Giga Texas on 2,500 acres in Travis County, while SpaceX and Boring are also building new infrastructure in Bastrop County. Boring employees can now rent homes there starting at $800 a month. However, if they leave the company, they are forced to move out within 30 days.
Contradictory opinions
Musk’s projects have attracted controversy. Some residents, like David Barrow, owner of Eden East Ranch, are concerned about the environmental impact of the projects. He is particularly concerned about the water quality of the Colorado River after Boring applied to release 140,000 gallons of industrial wastewater per day.Some landowners in the area are also feeling overwhelmed by the pace of development. Ambrose, who has owned 10 acres since 2013, said the area has changed dramatically since Musk’s companies began building warehouses and test tunnels.
Despite the challenges, Starbase is part of Elon Musk’s grand strategy to create a cohesive industrial ecosystem. With the support of Texas’s looser laws and favorable tax policies, this ambition could become a reality in the near future
