Elon Musk is allegedly building what is described as a utopian community in Bastrop County, Texas. This site is part of Musk’s grand plan to expand his operations in Texas, having already relocated the headquarters of SpaceX and X from California to Texas. The development is colloquially referred to as Snailbrook, a tribute to the mascot of Musk's Boring Company. Although there are economic incentives for Musk's move to Texas, such as no corporate taxes and less regulation, the motive may extend beyond these factors. Musk's efforts include the establishment of several modular homes and amenities for his employees, suggesting the creation of a self-sufficient community.

The site features amenities reminiscent of a company town, akin to those seen in early industrial America. Project plans reportedly include 110 new homes with quirky street names tied to Musk's enterprises. Notably, it hosts public areas like Hyperloop Plaza which offers a casual environment for employees. While the idea of a Musk-inspired utopia is speculative, there is evidence that Musk is making it easier for his employees to settle in Texas with convenience and comfort. Additionally, Musk is involved in other extensive developments in areas such as Starbase, Texas, indicating broader intentions within the state.

Main takeaways from the video:

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. utopia [juːˈtoʊpiə] - (noun) - An imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect. - Synonyms: (paradise, idyll, perfect place)

Elon Musk is allegedly building his own utopia.

2. incorporate [ɪnˈkɔːrpəˌreɪt] - (verb) - To constitute (a company, city, or other organization) as a legal corporation. - Synonyms: (establish, set up, start)

Under Texas law, a town needs at least 201 residents before it can apply to incorporate.

3. modular [ˈmɒdjʊlə] - (adjective) - Composed of standardized units or sections for easy construction or flexible arrangement. - Synonyms: (sectional, prefabricated, adaptable)

That community has about a dozen or so modular homes.

4. amenities [əˈmɛnɪtiz] - (noun) - Useful features or facilities of a building or place, adding to its convenience or attractiveness. - Synonyms: (facilities, comforts, services)

Hyperloop Plaza, for example, has a lot of the same amenities you'd find in a big tech office.

5. blueprint [ˈbluːˌprɪnt] - (noun) - A detailed plan or scheme of action. - Synonyms: (plan, design, proposal)

Snailbrook is in fact a blueprint for a larger incorporated town in Bastrop.

6. speculative [ˈspɛkjʊlətɪv] - (adjective) - Engaged in, expressing, or based on conjecture rather than knowledge. - Synonyms: (conjectural, theoretical, hypothetical)

While the idea of a Musk-inspired utopia is speculative.

7. colloquially [kəˈloʊkwiəlɪ] - (adverb) - Used in or suitable for everyday conversation. - Synonyms: (commonly, informally, familiarly)

The development is colloquially referred to as Snailbrook.

8. tribute [ˈtrɪbjuːt] - (noun) - An act, statement, or gift that is intended to show gratitude, respect, or admiration. - Synonyms: (homage, accolade, honor)

Snailbrook, a tribute to the mascot of Musk's Boring Company.

9. inexpensive [ˌɪnɪkˈspɛnsɪv] - (adjective) - Not costing a great deal; cheap. - Synonyms: (cheap, low-cost, economical)

Elon Musk may love the most about Texas is how easy and inexpensive it is to incorporate.

10. entity [ˈɛntɪti] - (noun) - A thing with distinct and independent existence. - Synonyms: (organization, body, structure)

Entities tied to Musk's companies or executives have purchased at least 3,500 acres.

Sketchy Politics - Labour Pains - FT

Elon Musk is allegedly building his own utopia. And he's building it here. This is Bastrop County, Texas. It sits some 30 miles downriver from Austin and is part of the growing tech empire Musk is building in the Lone Star State. If you've been keeping up with the news cycle lately, you've probably heard that Elon Musk has pledged to relocate the headquarters of two of his companies, SpaceX and X, from California to Texas. But don't be fooled by these recent developments. Musk has been staking out territory in Texas for years now, and not just because he has major beef with California.

I wanted to crack the code on Elon Musk's obsession with Texas and see his, quote, utopia for myself. So I flew to Austin, drove 45 minutes south. I just passed a Cybertruck and spent 48 hours investigating the area where he's allegedly building a town for his employees, complete with affordable homes, company buildings, and a plaza that almost feels like a town square. Oh, and lots of security. I just got told that I can't film here. Private property. What I discovered while I was there reveals an entirely new theory about why Elon Musk loves Texas so much. Surprisingly, it has nothing to do with taxes and everything to do with this cluster of modular homes. We are definitely in Musk country.

There are, of course, economic advantages to relocating a business from California to Texas. No corporate taxes, less regulation and access. Access to a growing pool of talent. But an investment Musk made around 2020 paints a different picture as to why he loves the Lone Star State so much. To tell you that story, we have to drive about 45 minutes southeast of Austin to Bastrop County. That's where Musk is allegedly building his own Texas utopia.

According to a 2023 report by the Wall Street Journal, entities tied to Musk's companies or executives have purchased at least 3,500 acres in the Austin area. And it's estimated by people close to Musk that he owns as many as 6,000 acres. Some of that acreage is occupied by Tesla's 2,500 acre Gigafactory in Travis county, about a 20 minute drive from downtown Austin and a 10 minute drive to the Austin Airport. But further down the Colorado river in Bastrop county is a plot of land acquired by an LLC with ties to the Boring Company, Musk's underground tunnel venture. Zoom in even closer and you'll find Snailbrook, a name that pays homage to Gary the Snail, the Boring Company's mascot.

Before I get out, let me Just say. It's really hard to know exactly what to call Snailbrook, but for the purposes of this video, I'm just going to call it a community. And right now that community has about a dozen or so modular homes, a tennis court and a swimming pool as far as we can tell from this Google Earth view. So we just got here and some of the roads are private property, including the one that leads to Snailbrook. That's this road here, which security told us we weren't allowed to access or film.

In fact, of this roughly 281 acre lot, which also houses facilities for the Boring Company SpaceX and now X Security only gave us permission to film here in Hyperloop Plaza. I feel like everyone else is working and I'm just like playing Cornhole. It's open to the public and basically a central hub for Musk's employees that currently has a bodega. They have a really good chip variety here. A hair salon, his and her salon, I believe it's called, and a pub where employees can grab a drink after work. This is the Prufrock Pub and it's named after the tunneling machine that the boring company uses.

Everything around here has some sort of name affiliated to one of Musk's companies. According to the Wall Street Journal, documents filed with Bastrop county Show plans for 110 more homes near the land where Snailbrook is located with street names like Boring Boulevard. It's a plan called Project Amazing. And it's seemingly all part of Musk's vision for a sort of Texas utopia along the Colorado river where his employees could live and work.

A concept reminiscent of the company town model that made its way to America in the 1800s, thanks to entrepreneurs like Francis Cabot Lowell. Lowell became obsessed with textiles. After touring the factories of Great Britain, he returned to Massachusetts in 1812, buzzing with ideas that even his family considered visionary and dangerous. In 1826, Lowell, Massachusetts was incorporated as a mill town named after Lowell himself and inhabited by the young women he employed to work and live there. They worked 14 hour days and lived in company dormitories where they were forced to obey a strict moral code. And that is a company town now.

There are a lot more labor laws in place today than there were in the 1800s. So I'm not suggesting that a Musk company town would treat its residents like the Lowell girls. But as Elon Musk himself becomes more outspoken about his political beliefs, his moral beliefs, and even his business beliefs. Go yourself. It might not be all that crazy to suggest that this business adjacent community town, whatever you want to call it, will embrace and embody some of Musk's personal values. Which brings me back to his love of Texas. And we have something that you might love.

It's the Hustle's Entrepreneurship Trends Report and it gives you access to the real world success stories of over 500 small businesses. This report is a great resource for current and aspiring entrepreneurs looking to unlock trends and gain data driven insights to give you a competitive edge in the market. Click the link in our description to check it out. Now back to our Elon Musk Texas Theory. Under Texas law, a town needs at least 201 residents before it can apply to incorporate. Every town starts as a general law city, which means it must look to the general laws of the state for any authority to act and any grant of power.

But once it grows to more than 5,000, it can hold an election to adopt a home rule charter which gives it the full power of local self government. The Bastrop Charter, for example, observes home rule. And what Elon Musk may love the most about Texas is how easy and inexpensive it is to incorporate and establish a small town here. Unlike in other states like California, in Texas there are fewer zoning laws and towns that are governed by home rule can effectively appoint their own zoning commissions.

Bastrop County's Director of Tourism and Economic Development even said not having tons of red tape is one reason she believes Musk and his companies were attracted to this particular part of Texas and really the entire country. Because, let's face it, with a net worth of more than $240 billion, Elon Musk could have any slice of the country he wants. But here's the thing, he isn't confirming any of this. In fact, he posted this tweet the day after the Wall Street Journal published its report on Snailbrook, insinuating that it was false.

As you can imagine, it's been really hard to get answers on whether or not Elon Musk is actually building a town in Bastrop County. Aside from the run ins we had with Security, yes, there was more than one. The Boring company, its legal team, and SpaceX did not respond to our requests for more information, but whether or not Snailbrook is in fact a blueprint for a larger incorporated town in Bastrop. From what I observed on the ground, it doesn't seem like Elon Musk is setting out to build a utopia, at least not in the way we've seen them proposed in recent years by other billionaires like Mark Laurie.

It feels like he could be trying to accommodate the thousands of employees that will no doubt be putting down roots in Texas because he's moved everything there. It also seems like he's trying to generate more perks for them as well. Hyperloop Plaza, for example, has a lot of the same amenities you'd find in a big tech office, video games, a beer garden, and a place to grab lunch or coffee with your co workers.

The employees that I chatted with in passing seem to be in favor of what Musk is building out there. Whatever that may be, we can't confirm. What we can confirm are Musk's plans to build another city about six hours southeast of Bastrop on the Texas Mexico border. That's the home of Starbase, an unincorporated area near Brownsville where SpaceX operates its South Texas launch site. In 2021, Musk tweeted that he was creating the city of Starbase Texas. And with the relocation of SpaceX's headquarters to Starbase, plans to get things ready are underway.

Construction for a $100 million, five story office building has already started and is set to be completed by 2025. Fun fact, the neighboring city of Brownsville also observes home rule. As for X, its original relocation from San Francisco to Austin has now been quietly changed to Bastrop. Coincidence? Talk to the Snail don't forget to check out HubSpot's Entrepreneurship Trends Report for more tips and insights. And if you enjoyed this story, subscribe to our Hustle newsletter for more stories like this.

Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Technology, Elon Musk, Company Town, Texas Community Development, Financial Times