Elon Musk’s Starbase Officially Becomes a Real City

It’s official, Starbase, Texas is now a real city.

After years of talk, the area around Elon Musk’s SpaceX launch site in Cameron County just voted to become an actual municipality.

The newest Texas city covers about 1.6 square miles and used to be pretty empty before SpaceX moved in back in 2012. Now, it’s full of company housing, testing sites, and even a road named Memes Street.

Starbase is the newest Type C Texas city.

Starbase will be what’s called a “Type C” city in Texas, which means it’s small (under 5,000 people) and can collect property taxes and handle local decisions.

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The first mayor is Bobby Peden, SpaceX’s VP of launch operations, and he’ll be joined by two commissioners, all three ran unopposed and all have ties to SpaceX.

Not everyone is thrilled, though. Some locals and environmental groups have pushed back, saying SpaceX’s expansion is hurting the surrounding area. In fact, SpaceX was fined last year for dumping wastewater which resulted in a 150,000 fine.

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However, one of the biggest concerns for critics revolves around a bill that could give Starbase the power to shut down highways and restrict access to nearby Boca Chica Beach during rocket launches.

For now, the Jack County Sheriff's Office will still handle policing, but Starbase is officially on the map and it might be one of the weirdest, most Musk-flavored cities in America.