Elon Musk can now add “founder of the city” to its curriculum vitae after residents surrounding its SpaceX complex in southern Texas voted this weekend to incorporate the region as “Starbase”.
The almost unanimous decision – 212 votes in favor of 6 County electoral data – Formalizes the domination of SpaceX in the remote coastal area, it has quickly reshaped over the past seven years.
SpaceX employees and their families make up almost all residents in the area of around 1.5 square miles, which was previously known as Boca Chica.
The first elected officials of the city – all the current or old staff of SpaceX who presented themselves without opposition – were placed in power on the same ballot.
Becoming a city will help us to continue building the best possible community for men and women who build the future of the place of humanity in space 🚀💫
– Starbasetx (@starbasetx) May 4, 2025
Bobby Peden ran without opposition to the mayor of Starbase, receiving 216 votes.
Peden has been working at SpaceX for over 12 years and its current title, according to Linkedin, is “VP – Texas Test & Launch”.
Integration as a city moves local controls such as zoning rules and building permits for County County officials and puts them directly in the hands of the new city commission aligned with SpaceX.
A shortage of housing leads to problems for SpaceX, with hundreds of workers who seek to move to the region for the company's sports program which aims to send a spacecraft to Mars.
SpaceX had previously tried to buy the inhabitants near Boca Chica Village, saying that it was “no longer sure” to live there. While many have taken again, some remained.
About 500 people, mainly families with around 260 employees, live on site.
The vast majority of the 3,100 Starbase enrollment move daily, a lot of nearby Brownsville, where there is a golden bust of nine feet high on the road leading to the SpaceX establishment.
Brownsville commuters pass in front of a golden golden bust. Andrew Lichtenstein / Corbis via Getty Images
Despite the almost unanimous vote, the incorporation encountered resistance of some.
The South Texas Environmental Justice Network Activist Group organized demonstrations and called on Texas to contact their state representatives to oppose the plans.
“Boca Chica beach is intended for people, not for Elon Musk to control,” said the organization in a statement on its site. “For generations, residents have visited Boca Chica beach for fishing, swimming, leisure and the Carrizo / Comecrudo tribe has spiritual links with the beach. They should be able to keep access.”
The vote limits a superb decadelong transformation of the village of Boca Chica.
SpaceX quickly terraced the quiet coast in a futuristic industrial campus, all intended for Musk's goal of reaching Mars.
