Elon Musk wins vote to establish own city Starbase in Texas

Elon Musk now officially has a town to call his own after a small South Texas community voted in favour of creating a brand new city named Starbase — built entirely around SpaceX.

The historic vote took place on Saturday in what was once known as Boca Chica, a remote patch of land hugging the Mexican border, home to a few hundred people — most of them either employed by or connected to SpaceX. With a reported 97.7% of voters backing the decision, Starbase, Texas, is now a reality.

Musk declared on X: “Now, it is official!”, just after the results rolled in.

Although the billionaire tech mogul won’t technically be running the city, the leadership remains firmly within his orbit. Bobby Peden, a long-time SpaceX employee and VP of test and launch operations, has been named mayor after running unopposed — as did two other commissioner candidates, also from SpaceX.

The entire election was more of a formality than a contest, with 283 eligible voters, the majority being company insiders.

With around 500 residents, including 260 SpaceX staff and their families, Starbase is essentially a modern-day company town.

The landscape is something out of a sci-fi fan’s dream — complete with a giant golden bust of Musk standing nine feet tall, bearing the title “ELON AKA Memelord,” a street called “Memes Street”, and an employee-only hangout spot called Astropub, lit by a glowing neon sign that reads “Occupy Mars”.

The move to officially incorporate Starbase gives Musk and SpaceX far more control over the area — including the power to create ordinances, manage road closures, and coordinate launches without having to navigate external bureaucracy. According to identical statements submitted by SpaceX workers during a legislative hearing, the city status will help with “logistics and coordination around test launches.”

But not everyone is thrilled with the plan. Local environmental and Indigenous groups have voiced strong opposition, particularly over fears that public access to Boca Chica Beach — a long-cherished community space — will be restricted under Musk’s rule.

The South Texas Environmental Justice Network, who’ve held protests and encouraged locals to pressure state reps, said: “Boca Chica Beach is meant for the people, not Elon Musk to control”. The Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe also considers the beach a sacred place and worries about its future under Starbase.

Musk, who’s relocated both his businesses and residence to Texas, seems unfazed by the backlash. As Tesla struggles and his White House stint advising Trump wraps up, his attention is now squarely on SpaceX — a company growing in influence thanks to massive government contracts and Musk’s long-term goal of colonising Mars.

Starbase might be a novelty now, but if Musk gets his way, it could be the first step toward a much bigger vision — one that stretches far beyond Earth.