Elon Musk is not only a visionary—he also knows how to get things done. In large part, it was his efforts that brought EVs to the market and made reusable rockets a reality. He is also making steady progress on Neuralink, a brain interface that will enable paralyzed individuals to control electronic devices with their thoughts. Musk’s latest brainchild is Starbase, a new city in Texas and, when completed, there will be no other like it.
It will be fascinating to watch how Starbase progresses, because right now it is located in the middle of nowhere. There are only a few hundred residents, there is no running water, and the only road is made of dirt and only a few blocks long. But changes are a-comin’.
Residents of Boca Chica Village, Texas, just voted overwhelmingly—212 to 6—in favor of making it an official city named Starbase. “The move marks a major victory for Musk and highlights the rise of private-sector industrial capitalism as SpaceX leads the global space race,” Zero Hedge wrote.
In what was likely its first official comment after the votes were counted, Starbase posted the following on X: “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.”
Starbase’s initial objective is to get more SpaceX employees close to the launch site. This would save them both the time and resources needed to commute. Subsequently, it will attempt to become a world-class city that caters to America’s space industry.
Over time, more people connected to SpaceX and the space industry will move there, and it’s expected that the population will increase to several thousand. As the city grows and implements state-of-the-art products and technology, it will likely become a model city of the future, serving as a showcase for communities across the U.S. and around the world.
Dirt Roads and Dreams
That would certainly be a great improvement, because at this time there’s not much to look at. Starbase’s claim to fame is that it serves as the main testing and production site for Starship vehicles. Despite that, the area is sparsely populated, and all it can “boast” about is a great deal of undeveloped land. Musk, however, envisions a thriving, futuristic community.
According to a video produced by documentary maker The Newest Finds, Musk is planning to develop Starbase into a self-sufficient hub for rocket innovation and more. Musk has already announced that he is moving the headquarters of SpaceX and his social media company from California to Texas. By the way, SpaceX owns most of the land in Boca Chica, where the company has been conducting Starship launch tests.
What a contrast Starbase is. On the one hand, some of the most modern space technology in the world can be found there. But on the other hand, it could easily pass for a town in the early 1900s. There is no grocery store, no restaurant, no gas station, and the city doesn’t even have water pipes; it relies on the county to deliver fresh water to holding tanks.
“Aside from the SpaceX facility, there is no sign of civilization for miles around,” The Newest Finds says. SpaceX started buying land there a few years back, and when they offered to purchase homes for three times the market value, most of the residents accepted.
According to The Newest Finds, two technologies will likely dominate the city’s development going forward: solar power and tunneling. “A solar farm will be connected to a field full of Tesla Megapack batteries to regulate the power supply,” it says. “Every building will be equipped with a Tesla solar roof and Powerwall, creating an entirely energy-independent city with no connection to the state power grid.” All the technology required to make this possible has already been developed.
Boring Becomes Exciting
Another feature that will make Starbase distinct is that the city will have no streets or traffic; there won’t even be any roads. In large part, this will be due to technology developed by SpaceX’s wholly owned Boring Company, which will make travel possible through tunnels.
“An underground network of autonomous electric vehicles would ‘ferry’ everyone around the city,” says The Newest Finds. But Boring’s tunnels will be more than just a way to go a few blocks to and from work; they will also be the best way to get into and out of the city.
The closest major population center to Starbase is Brownsville, which is about 20 miles away. Currently, the two cities are connected only by Highway 4, which means entry is limited. This has an important advantage for Starbase, in that it can control the number of people allowed to enter. This is crucial, because when rocket engines are tested there is danger of explosion or other accidents, and keeping people at a safe distance reduces that risk.
But there’s also a downside: traffic on Highway 4 often backs up. This creates delays and blocks people from entering and leaving. In addition, this area of Texas is sometimes impacted by extreme weather that causes severe flooding. A prime example is Hurricane Beulah in September 1967. The storm had such a devastating impact on Boca Chica that it “led to the destruction of a nascent land development project that significantly hindered [the city’s] future growth,” AI Overview reports. The effects of that devastation are still felt today.
An underground tunnel system, such as one built by The Boring Company, would resolve these issues. Tourists and others could travel from Brownsville International Airport to Starbase at 100 MPH—and at 150 MPH when the system is fully optimized—eliminating traffic delays entirely.
Musk certainly feels gratified by the progress and promise Starbase has already shown, but his real objective is preparing for life on Mars. An entire fleet of rockets will be needed to make this a reality, and they will be built and stored at Starbase. Of course, rocket scientists will be vital to making this mission successful, but craftspeople, laborers, administrators, and many others will also be needed—thousands of people in all.
In the coming years, Musk is going to learn a great deal more about rockets and space travel and how to piece together a project as complicated and ambitious as this one. And as Starbase progresses, cities all over the world will observe—and learn.
Sources: AI Overview; x.com; zerohedge.com; YouTube – The Newest Finds: Elon Musk Is Making a New City
Gerald Harris is a financial and feature writer. Gerald can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
