SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, is establishing its own official company town.
The residents of the area surrounding SpaceX’s Starbase launch site in southern Texas have voted overwhelmingly in favor of incorporating as a city, which will also be named Starbase. According to the online results posted by the Cameron County Elections Department, 212 votes were cast in support, while only six were against.
On his social media platform X, Musk announced that Starbase, Texas, is now officially a city.
The majority of the new city’s residents are believed to be employees of SpaceX. On Saturday, they also elected three current and former Starbase employees – Bobby Peden, Jordan Buss, and Jenna Petrzelka – to serve as the city’s mayor and two commissioners, respectively, as they ran unopposed.
The Associated Press reports that SpaceX has not disclosed many details about its reasons for incorporating the area. However, the company already manages the area’s roads, utilities, and provides schooling and medical care. Additionally, it seeks to transfer authority from the county to the new city government to close the nearby Boca Chica beach and state park for launches.
Musk, who recently stated that he would be reducing his role with the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, announced last year that he would be relocating SpaceX’s headquarters from El Segundo, California to the Starbase facility in Texas.
At the time, Musk cited his reasons for the move, stating that he had “had enough of dodging gangs of violent drug addicts just to get in and out of the building” and that the “final straw” was a California bill that prohibits schools from disclosing students’ sexuality or gender identity without consent.
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Following the election, a new X account representing the town stated, “Becoming a city will help us continue building the best community possible for the men and women building the future of humanity’s place in space.”
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