Elon Musk's SpaceX outpost, Starbase, officially becomes a new city in Texas

Residents who are part of the land that houses Elon Musk's SpaceX outpost in Texas voted to turn the patch of land into a new city, now called Starbase. The tech billionaire and his rocket company scored a big victory with 212 votes in their favor out of a total of 283, as reported by BBC News. The results published online by Cameron County showed only six oppositions, as most eligible voters were SpaceX employees. Musk took to his social media platform X and wrote, "Starbase, Texas is now a real city!" The city is effectively exclusive to SpaceX employees and people affiliated with the company.

The new city will span around 1.6 square miles, a region that was slightly populated before SpaceX began purchasing the land in 2012, per the publication. Since then, the company's housing and SpaceX facilities have grown, and Musk also has a residence. The city's government will consist of a mayor and two commissioners, who will oversee planning, taxation, and other local issues. There is also a road called Memes Street and a giant bust of Elon Musk that was vandalized recently. It was labelled as the consequences of opposing sentiments of certain locals due to environmental concerns.

“It’s officially statistically impossible for the measure to fail,” Cameron County Elections Administrator Remi Garza stated, as per NBC News. “Cameron County is about to have a new city,” he added. After they tallied the voting and the city became a reality, its X account was also created, titled StarbaseTX (@StarbaseTX). Its first post noted how this initiative would help create the best community for the people "building the future of humanity’s place in space.” This was reposted to SpaceX’s official account, as the canvassing of results followed the voting victory.

The region now consists of the SpaceX headquarters, where the company builds its boosters and engines alongside launching its Starship rocket on test flights. The election also chose Starbase’s first mayor, Bobby Pedden, and two city commissioners, Jordan Buss and Jenna Petrzelka. All three candidates ran unopposed for their positions and were SpaceX employees. Eligibility for the election was based on whether the person was a resident of the area within the new city’s boundaries. 

The area was previously known as Boca Chica, and it would be under the jurisdiction of the billionaire CEO. This victory places Musk in a position of unusual power, following the backlash he has been receiving for his political and confrontational behavior impacting the “department of government efficiency,” according to The Guardian. The land of Starbase is near the Mexican border and blends into the Gulf of Mexico.

This new city was said to help with “logistics and coordination around issues such as road closures during test launches,” as per its members, reported The Guardian. With SpaceX having a lot of responsibility for the country’s future and vision, this new city could be a massive power addition.