Elon Musk ‘s SpaceX outpost in Texas has just taken a giant leap — not toward Mars, but toward becoming its own official city. The billionaire entrepreneur has secured approval to incorporate a brand-new municipality in the remote coastal region of Boca Chica, where SpaceX has built and launched its ambitious Starship rocket. The new city will be called Starbase, and according to Musk, it’s now ‘a real city!’

A vote held on Saturday confirmed overwhelming support for the plan , with 212 residents in favor and only six opposed. Given that most of the area’s 283 eligible voters are SpaceX workers and their families, the landslide was hardly surprising. The election also ushered in a local government — including the city’s first mayor, 36-year-old SpaceX veteran Bobby Peden, and two commissioners — all either current or former employees of Musk’s aerospace firm.

None faced any opposition, nor did they campaign. An X account for the newly minted city appeared shortly after the vote was counted. Its first message: ‘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.’

The idea to form Starbase dates back to 2021, when Musk first floated the concept publicly. SpaceX made its formal push last December, arguing that cityhood would support its ‘goal of making south Texas the gateway to Mars.’ While the incorporation doesn’t grant Musk unlimited control, the new city government can now greenlight infrastructure to support the company’s rapid expansion — including housing and road closures for rocket launches.

That kind of flexibility is exactly what SpaceX has been after. The company has repeatedly complained of being blocked from building enough residential units for its growing workforce. A recent proposal was rejected by Cameron County officials, who currently hold jurisdiction. Now, with Starbase becoming official, that barrier may soon be gone.

The city spans just 1.5 square miles and includes SpaceX’s sprawling launch and manufacturing complex, which has transformed Boca Chica Village from a quiet coastal community into a launchpad for interplanetary dreams. Murals of Musk and his beloved Doge meme already line the area, and a 9-foot bronze bust labeled ‘ELON AKA Memelord’ greets visitors. Still, not everyone is celebrating.

Longtime locals have voiced concerns about losing access to Boca Chica Beach — once a public space, now often closed for rocket testing. ‘It’s just such a disgrace on what’s happening out here,’ Rene Medrano, who grew up visiting the beach, told the Telegraph . ‘There’s a lot of upset community people who are seeing there’s a great chance that we may lose this beach.’ Tensions flared further last month when Musk’s statue was defaced.

Cameron County officials are expected to certify the vote results in the coming weeks, after which a judge will formally declare the incorporation. ‘It’s officially statistically impossible for the measure to fail,’ said Remi Garza, the county’s elections administrator. ‘Cameron County is about to have a new city.’ Musk, who has shifted much of his empire from California to Texas in pursuit of lighter regulation , recently purchased a $35 million compound in the Lone Star State.

The home is said to accommodate his growing family — now 11 children from multiple mothers. He’s not the only tech titan eyeing new territory. In northern California, a group of billionaires including Marc Andreessen and Reid Hoffman are backing ‘California Forever,’ a plan to build an entirely new city near San Francisco. Years ago, PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel invested in Seasteading, a libertarian venture proposing floating ocean cities. Crypto leaders, too, have flocked to Puerto Rico in search of a fresh start.

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