Elon Musk Seeks to Create 'Starbase,' His Own Texas Town

Over the past few years, Elon Musk has expanded his footprint in Texas, moving his companies from California to many Texas counties. Now Musk is trying to do something that few, if any, titans of industry have done in a century: create his own company town. 

Musk has long talked about his desire to make a new town — which he hopes to call Starbase — in coastal South Texas, where his rocket launch company, SpaceX, is based. For years, the plan did not appear to be moving forward in any official way, in part because creating a new municipality in Texas requires a certain number of residents and support from a majority of voters. 

But in that time, SpaceX employees have packed into newly refurbished midcentury homes and temporary housing — some living in silver Airstream trailers — in the shadow of the company’s rockets. 

Then this month, company employees who live around its offices and launch site took the first major step toward incorporating a town, gathering signatures and filing an official petition to hold an election. 

The petition comes amid Musk's big shift from California to Texas, where he has shifted quite a few operations to this coastal town in recent years. Musk has been prepping for Starbase but now the dream has gained momentum after SpaceX employees started moving into nearby homes and temporary housing near the launch site. 

A report by the New York Times reveals that SpaceX employees in Texas have submitted an official petition to Cameron County, requesting a vote on the incorporation of a new city. The petition outlines preliminary plans for the city, and if it moves forward, Elon Musk will make history by achieving something no other company or business leader has ever attempted. 

If approved, the election would allow voters to choose three city officials, including Gunnar Milburn, SpaceX's security manager, as the proposed first mayor. 

The petition details a community of around 500 people, including 219 primary residents and over 100 children, near Boca Chica Beach at the end of State Highway 4. 

Spanning about 1.5 square miles, the proposed town is relatively small by Texas standards, with most residents being renters employed by SpaceX. 

"If you create your own city, and it's a relatively small area now, you have kind of control over that area," Robert Greer, an associate professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University told AP. 

"Incorporating Starbase will streamline the processes required to build the amenities necessary to make the area a world-class place to live - for the hundreds already calling it home, as well as for prospective workers eager to help build humanity's future in space," Kathryn Lueders, Starbase's general manager, stated in a letter to the county. 

While SpaceX rapidly expands in the area, some locals have pushed back. Earlier this year, a group called Save RGV sued SpaceX over allegations of environmental violations and dumping polluted water into the nearby bay. 

The plan does not specify why they want to create Starbase and what benefits are they looking to secure out of this separate municipality. If a separate city is created, it would allow it to establish its own police or fire departments or enact its ordinances. 

In addition, Musk is reportedly exploring the option of housing employees in a development outside Bastrop, near Austin. 

This area is becoming a hub for Musk's ventures, including a SpaceX manufacturing plant, the headquarters of the Boring Company (focused on tunneling technology), and soon, offices for the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).