A remote section of southern Texas, home to Elon Musk’s SpaceX launch site, has officially been designated as a city.
Named Starbase, the area was incorporated following a successful vote by local residents on Saturday.
Of the 283 eligible voters, most of whom are SpaceX employees, 212 voted in favour while just six opposed, according to results from Cameron County.
Musk celebrated the outcome on his social media platform X, writing: “Starbase, Texas is now a real city!”
Starbase, Texas
Is now a real city!
— gorklon rust (@elonmusk) May 4, 2025
The newly incorporated city spans 1.6 square miles (3.9 sq km) — a once sparsely populated stretch of land that SpaceX began acquiring in 2012.
Starbase will be governed by a mayor and two commissioners, with authority over planning, taxation, and other municipal affairs.
How it started vs how it’s going pic.twitter.com/7WwTO2rj9i
— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) May 4, 2025
The first mayor is Bobby Peden, a SpaceX vice president, who ran unopposed.
Two other SpaceX-affiliated residents also filled the commissioner roles unchallenged.
Musk himself has a home in the area, which features quirky touches like a road named “Memes Street” and a large bust of Musk, recently defaced by vandals.
About 500 people live in the surrounding area. Though the idea of forming a city had circulated for years, a formal petition filed in December 2024 triggered the vote.
S T A R B A S E https://t.co/Qs322y8n6E pic.twitter.com/GCMZAecjnH
— Space Sudoer (@spacesudoer) May 4, 2025
Starbase qualifies as a Type C municipality, a classification for cities with under 5,000 residents. This status allows city officials to impose a property tax of up to 1.5%, according to the Texas Municipal League.
A proposed bill in the Texas legislature could give Starbase the authority to close nearby roads and limit access to Boca Chica Beach and Boca Chica State Park during rocket launches, powers currently held by Cameron County officials.
Musk has steadily shifted his operations from California to Texas, citing the need to escape what he sees as California’s heavy-handed regulations and hostile business climate.
The headquarters of his companies X and The Boring Company are now situated near Bastrop, close to Austin — around five and a half hours north of Starbase.
