Elon Musk gets his own city in Texas: What we know about Starbase

Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s long-standing wish to have his own city just came true. The area is from where Musk’s rocket company SpaceX operates on the southern tip of Texas is on its way to officially become a city, Starbase, reported BBC.On Saturday, residents agreed to incorporate a patch of land into a new municipality during an election. According to results published online by the Cameron County Elections Department, the tally was 212 in favour to six against.

After the declaration, Musk s

hared a nostalgic “how it started vs how it’s going” post on X. He reposted a post which was originally shared by Tesla Owners Silicon Valley, featuring two images. One of the pictures shows Musk and a few others with shovels in the sand during the inauguration ceremony, and another picture features the full-fledged Starbase office.
“Starbase started with one shovel,” he wrote.

Starbase started with one shovel https://t.co/jwUfNQFHbx

— gorklon rust (@elonmusk) May 4, 2025

In another post on X, he said, “Starbase, Texas. Is now a real city!”

Starbase, Texas

Is now a real city!— gorklon rust (@elonmusk) May 4, 2025

With an area of about 1.6 square miles (3.9 square km), the location was sparsely populated when SpaceX began purchasing land in the year 2012. According to the BBC report, there are an estimated 500 individuals living in the vicinity.

The city’s government will have a mayor and two commissioners with authority over planning, taxes and other local problems. Bobby Peden, a SpaceX vice president, will serve as the first mayor of Starbase. Peden ran unopposed, along did two other locals with SpaceX ties who will fill the two commissioner positions.

The potential of incorporation as a city was discussed for years until a petition submitted in December 2024 cleared the way for the recent ballot.

Most of the 283 eligible voters in the area are believed to be SpaceX employees. According to a report in the Associated Press, the business tycoon first floated the idea of the city in 2021.

As per the Texas Municipal League, it will be classified as a Type C city, which is a category of municipality with less than 5,000 residents and allows officials to charge a property tax of up to 1.5%.

A law presently being debated in the Texas state legislature might allow the new city’s officials the authority to close a local roadway and restrict access to neighbouring Boca Chica Beach and Boca Chica State Park during rocket launches and other corporate activities.