Starbase, an industrial complex of the American manufacturer of Spacex aerospace systems, can be seen miles away. The place rises over the remote coastal plains that have long defined the southern tip of Texas.
In the last decade, the billionaire and CEO Elon Musk company has developed this area, building a space -flight system designed to bring human to man and carry out slutty test flights with the most powerful rocket in the world.
Those who go to the site to fish now go through a hallway full of a heavy machinery and huge water tanks and propellant, substances used to boost missiles and rockets.
And soon, the industrial complex will become a new town of Texas. On Saturday (3), the voters of Cameron County supported the initiative to transform Starbase into a municipality, as well as electing a small municipal government with a mayor and two councilors, according to the unofficial results.
The Starbase area has 283 registered voters, and the vast majority are employees of Spacex. Almost all votes were in favor, the change will come into force as soon as the County Judge issues an order declaring the incorporation of the city.
“Starbase, Texas is now a real city!” Said Elon Musk, in a X publication on Saturday night (3).
Starbase, Texas
Is now the real city!
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 4, 2025
The incorporation marks another step to make this part of the Baixo Rio Grande Valley the next border of space aviation, but some critics fear that the musk company is becoming too powerful.
In addition to environmental concerns, they fear that by becoming an independent city, Spacex has more autonomy to circumvent regulations and exercise greater control over access to Boca Chica beach. It is a struggle that even came to the Texas legislature this year.
“People want to go to Mars. Do you know one thing? Let them go to Mars,” said Rene Medrano, a former high school football coach who has land near this area for 40 years. “But you know one thing, there are people who want to go to the beach and enjoy the beach with Boca Chica.”
It was not a big surprise when Spacex presented a petition last year to turn Starbase into a city. Musk publicly provoked the idea four years ago, and made appeals for engineers, technicians and builders to move to the area.
He also announced plans to transfer California Spacex headquarters to Starbase.
Spacex has acquired large extensions of land and employ more than 3,000 people. Voting is good news for Musk, which has been through a difficult time lately, among the public reaction to its doge cuts and the fall in Tesla profits.
With less than 3.8 square kilometers, the new limits will include Spacex facilities and some newly settled neighborhoods around them. Of the 247 residential lots within the limits proposed for the city, only 10 do not belong to the company or its employees, according to County records.
Most residents recently registered to vote for Cameron County. Almost 95% of them registered on site since 2021.
Defenders claim that Starbase will be a smaller burden on Cameron County if you can manage some of its own resources, such as security and infrastructure. With more autonomy, they say, the area can develop in a way that is more convenient for employees.
“I think more people will want to live here, why not live close to the most amazing thing that is happening on Earth?” Said Anthony Gomez, one of the few spacex staff who has property and manages a launch visualization business.
Starbase is a “business city”
In the shadow of the brand new Spacex factory, with 90,000 square meters, is a small residential neighborhood with a wide variety of housing options for renting, from tiny houses and reluctant luxury trailers to familiar houses.
The construction of a school of US $ 20 million, financed with private resources, for elementary and high school, is also underway nearby. The school will be called “ad astra”, which means “for the stars” in Latin.
Change trucks and palm trees flap to the streets. Those who live within the limits of the community have clear views to a wide length of water, salty swamps and grassy sand dunes.
Adding the winds of the southern Texas, the high noise of the construction is heard, with an excavator in action in almost every corner. Employees and their families ride a bicycle and motorized scooters. Several Teslas are connected to recharge stations.
A few kilometers from the boundaries proposed for the city, there is a large statue of musk, in bronze color, allegedly installed there by fans.
“This is what would probably be called a business city,” said Eddie Treviño Jr., Cameron County Judge who issued the order allowing residents to make an election to become incorporated.
This will be the first incorporation of the county since the 1990s. Business cities were more common in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, during the Industrial Revolution, when large iron, coal and wood companies had most houses and stores around their production facilities.
Treviño also said that it is still unclear which types of government functions – such as police, emergency services and licensing – Starbase will assume if it becomes a city. Once incorporated, municipal bodies are also required to hold public meetings, according to state law.
Spacex representatives, who also operate launch facilities in California and Florida, did not respond to an interview request on the proposed city.
THE CNN He contacted the three residents who ran for the city’s three leadership positions but got no response. According to county officials, the three are Spacex staff.
Access to Boca Chica Beach
As a County Judge, Treviño should take a delicate way between working with Spacex and promoting their growth to reap the economic benefits to their county, while considering the concerns of longtime residents who fear that Starbase is getting very powerful.
The main concern is access to Praia de Boca Chica, a popular public state park among the fishermen of trout, seale and red fish. Its only vehicle entry point is a few steps from Spacex’s launch site.
Residents such as 65 -year -old Mornago say they understand what Spacex is trying to do, but they expect it not to limit their own freedoms. It represents the absolute juxtaposition between tradition and innovation in this region.
In addition, he also calls himself “Old School”, uses a Flip mobile phone and laughs from the irony of the device while facing a global giant like Spacex.
MEDRANO led to CNN For a car ride on the narrow access to the beach, now a works zone. He then drove another five kilometers in the sand until he reached the US-México border, where Rio Grande finds the Gulf. He spent much of his life fishing here with friends and family, a tradition that doesn’t want to see it.
“Just because Spacex is fashionable, it doesn’t mean that the beach of Boca Chica is too,” he said.
Cameron County already closes the highway that leads to the beach on launch days, and issues delays on days without launch, when Spacex tests or transports equipment. Residents can register to receive text messages to find out when the road is closed or late.
Access to the Gulf Coast beaches is a constitutional right in Texas. In an effort to support Spacex, Texas State legislators tried to change this this spring, proposing a bill that gives the future Mayor of the Star Base instead of the county, authority to control beach access during the week.
Treviño, the County Judge, has been actively shown against the initiative. And although it was approved in the State Senate last month, it was not approved this week at a House committee. Treviño considered a “pleasant surprise” to rejection of the measure, but fears that it may arise again.
Treviño recognizes that he and others will have disagreements with Spacex, but in the end he sees the growing presence of the company as a step forward to his country and his economy.
“Cabo Canaveral was a small quiet community in the early 60’s, when he was chosen as a launching place for Apollo missions,” he said. “We hope it will continue to be an advantageous situation for everyone. The number of jobs, wages, attention, development, energy and enthusiasm have been positive.”
“Are they respecting the public interest?”
Jared Hockema, a municipal administrator of neighboring Port Isabel and Cameron Democratic party head, said he also appreciates Spacex’s economic benefit, but suspects that attempting to transform Starbase into a city is also a maneuver to prevent certain regulations.
“The question is always again: Are you using the government to benefit a private interest?” Said Jared Hockema, municipal administrator of neighboring Port Isabel and president of the Cameron County Democratic Party.
“No one is against progress,” he added. “It’s a great company, great innovation. There are a lot of good people working there. They do a good job. But do they respect the public interest in everything they do?”
For Anthony Gomez, an employee not linked to Spacex and owner of a property in the proposed city, the change represents another exciting step in Spacex’s trajectory. He believes this will help relieve the load on the county and can vote in advance.
“They are moving at an incredible pace, more than Cameron County can follow,” said Gomez, who is a native of Miami.
Gomez runs Rocket Ranch, a glamping place on the banks of Rio Grande that receives Spacex enthusiasts. He also has an observation post where for $ 150 each (approx. $ 850), up to 300 people can watch Starship releases just 6 kilometers away, and feel that the company is misunderstood and overshadowed by politics.
“We are seeing the apex of all human technology and all the achievements we have achieved, gathered in a single vehicle. It’s amazing to testify,” he said. “I don’t think there is a country in the world that I wouldn’t want to have this kind of commitment to progress.”
This content was originally published in Elon Musk will have a new city in Texas in Spacex’s launch center on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
