Elon Musk’s final frontier may be Mars, but he’s colonizing Texas first.
The richest man on Earth has plenty of titles: the guy who made Twitter into X, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Boring Company founder and, most recently, Technocrat in Chief in President-elect Donald Trump’s second term.
In addition to shelling out to get Trump re-elected, he’s become a prolific Texas landman. Those efforts are more connected than you might think.
Musk explicitly ties his Texas migration to California’s recent spate of legislation aimed at protecting the LGBTQ+ community. The state offers Musk the perfect setting for growing his companies without the hassle of onerous regulations or social progressivism.
Between a compound for his progeny and plans to develop two towns, Musk has already taken a bite out of the Lone Star State — to the tune of about 3,900 acres (at least). For property tax purposes, it’s valued at $3.4 billion.
He won’t be cracking the list of top owners any time soon (that’s reserved for land owners whose acreage numbers in the hundred thousands). But, in developing communities and workplaces that embody his technocratic ethos, he’s poised to further cement his role as a political leader and launch himself into unimaginable stratospheres of wealth. As long as pesky locals get on board, that is.
But what exactly is in his portfolio?
The Boring town
Musk made waves in 2023 when the Wall Street Journal reported that he’s building his own town near Bastrop, a swiftly growing exurb about 35 miles east of Austin.
Rumors of a Musk-designed utopia named Snailbrook belie what’s essentially a collection of manufactured homes hidden behind a fence with printed ivy.
Musk, via his companies, owns at least 440 acres on either side of FM 1209, which stretches about three miles along the Colorado River.
On one side of the road is the 11-acre factory for Starlink, a SpaceX project that produces internet kits.
Across the street, a ranch gate welcomes visitors to Hyperloop Plaza.
The 11,000-square-foot warehouse is set up kind of like a craft fair. When you walk in, there’s an open-air convenience store immediately to the left, a bar on the right and a series of pop-ups along the western wall, including a small barbershop and a paint-your-own pottery studio.
A second warehouse-type building is under construction at the Plaza. This facility will house what’s left of X.
The property is bordered by a few pickleball courts, gazebos and a playground large enough for all of Musk’s children. Over the fence is headquarters for the Boring Company, Musk’s tunneling venture. Snailbrook is adjacent to the building.
Bastrop was booming before Musk planted any seeds there, but the branding of its growth fits well in his story. A nearby billboard for the Colony, the housing development nearest to his property, advertises the community as “the Austin alternative” and “less hip, more happy.”
Starbase, Texas
Meanwhile, Musk has been trying to incorporate another town 350 miles away, on the southern tip of Texas.
Built around the SpaceX development site about 25 miles east of Brownsville, Starbase is located in Boca Chica and is dotted with modest prefabricated homes.
This one-saloon town is home to Astropub, a private bar and restaurant for employees. It’s fairly unremarkable except for its roof, which is a replica of the wings of Starship prototype MK1.
Musk also has plans to open a $6 million restaurant, a $9 million shopping center, a $500,000 sushi restaurant and a rec center, for employees, near the launch site.
So far, local residents have resisted his attempts to rebrand Boca Chica. His relationship with the community he colonized is probably best described in the lawsuit community groups filed against the state for allowing SpaceX to release wastewater into nearby wetlands.
But Musk’s influence is palpable. The internet is rife with accounts of fan boys’ and space enthusiasts’ visits to Starbase. Last year, Trump was the first Republican to win Cameron County, where Boca Chica and Brownsville are located, in 20 years.
Musk’s companies own at least 900 acres in Boca Chica and nearby Port Isabel.
Austin, est. 1839
In a more conventional turn, Musk keeps a house for himself just outside the already established city of Austin, and Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas is also near the state capital.
The electric vehicle manufacturer is headquartered in industrial southeast Austin (outside city limits, of course), near the Austin Bergstrom International Airport.
Musk owns at least 2,500 acres along either side of State Highway 130.
Count yourself lucky if Covid took your sense of smell; the Tesla factory is just across the Colorado River from the South Austin Regional Wastewater Plant, the unmistakable fragrance of which is known to offend airport visitors.
Musk is also building an office and manufacturing space about 10 miles east for Neuralink, his company that develops brain implants.
As for his domicile, he is reportedly setting up a family compound for his 11 children and the mothers of his children not engaged in legal feuds with the billionaire. The compound, worth $35 million, includes a 14,400-square-foot Tuscan villa.
Musk’s new role in the Trump administration may take him to Washington, but his Texas portfolio spells out his real estate priority: the Lone Star State.
