Elon Musk has denied claims he is building a $53.2 million “compound” in Austin, TX, insisting he lives in a low-key home near Brownsville. (Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
Billionaire Elon Musk has denied reports that he is building a $35 million (A$53.25m) Austin, TX, compound where he plans to house all 11 of his children — instead focusing his attention on the neighbourhood of Brownsville, where his SpaceX headquarters is located and where he owns an incredibly humble $50,000 family home.
Realtor reports, Musk‘s “compound” first emerged in October, when the New York Times claimed that the businessman had purchased three mansions in the Austin area — for a total of $35 million — that he planned to use to house all of his kids, as well as two of their three mothers.
The outlet stated that Musk, who is worth an estimated $313 billion (A$480b), had “told people close to him in recent months” that he believed the arrangement would allow his younger children to “be a part of one another’s lives,” while enabling him to “schedule time among them.”
In November Elon Musk was reportedly on the hunt for a mansion in Los Angeles’ Bel-Air neighbourhood with ex-partner Grimes.
A media source claims the couple have been mansion hunting with the aim of finding a property that they can “share” with his entire blood.
However, a new report by the New York Post reveals that the billionaire has since denied those claims.
Musk has been investing heavily in Austin real estate for his Tesla headquarters, which he moved to the outskirts of the Texas city from its original base in California in December 2021.
RELATED: Elon Musk searches for Bel-Air home in LA
Elon Musk has denied claims that he is building a “compound” for all 11 of his children in Austin, TX, insisting that he resides in a humble $50,000 home on the outskirts of Brownsville. (Picture: Google Maps)
The property is located just a stone’s throw from the SpaceX Starbase — and a short drive from the company’s beachfront launch site in Boca Chica. (Picture: SpaceX / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Musk revealed on X that he had visited a Brownsville polling station to cast his vote in the 2024 presidential election. (Picture: X/Elon Musk)
Instead of basing his home there, Musk chose to move into a low-key property on the coast, just a block away from his SpaceX Starbase facility in Boca Chica.
In 2021, the father of 11 revealed on X that he was renting the three-bedroom, ranch-style house, which he now owns.
“My primary home is literally a ~$50k house in Boca Chica/Starbase that I rent from SpaceX. It’s kinda awesome though,” he said.
The Brownsville property that Musk was referring to is located on a grassy street that runs down to the perimeter of Starbase and has several similar properties dotting it.
The home serves as the businessman’s official legal residence, a status that he confirmed when he visited a local polling station to cast his vote in the 2024 presidential election.
“Just voted in Cameron County, Texas, home of Starbase!” Musk wrote on X on Nov. 5, while sharing an image of himself and several acquaintances standing outside the polling location.
Before Musk began work on Starbase in 2014, Boca Chica was known primarily as a sleepy coastal town with a small population that was largely made up of retirees. However, interest in the area soon soared as hordes of SpaceX employees set up shop there, with the company building multiple homes in the area, as well as the enormous Starbase facility.
In July, Musk announced that he is relocating both SpaceX and X from California to the Brownsville area.
“That is fantastic news,” Mayor John Cowen Jr. said in a statement.
“I think it will just continue the investment in the region. It puts us on the map at a much bigger level now that we have the headquarters of the most valuable aerospace company in the world.
Musk has erected fencing around his Boca Chica property, which has a separate garage and a sizeable backyard. (Picture: Google Maps)
Elon Musk and Donald Trump watching the lunch of SpaceX’s Starship rocket system (Picture: Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Musk’s ability to draw global attention to Brownsville was made clear on Nov. 19, when President-elect Donald Trump travelled to the area to join Musk for the launch of SpaceX’s Starship rocket system. (Picture: Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
RELATED: Elon Musk responds to Texas compound rumours
“I think that is a feather in our hat that we will be able to say that we have that in our region and it will just create more opportunity for our residents and our businesses,” he added.
SpaceX already has a launch site in Boca Chica. However, after its relocation, it will increase the number of launches and landings to 25 annually, according to a press release from Cowen’s office.
Musk’s ability to draw global attention to Brownsville was made clear on Nov. 19, when President-elect Trump travelled to the area to join Musk for the launch of SpaceX’s Starship rocket system.
However, his Texas takeover has not been without criticism, particularly from some locals who say that their once-quiet beachside lifestyle has been turned upside down as a result of SpaceX launches and Starbase work.
Musk has been accused of damaging the local environment with the expansion of SpaceX, according to media sources, and has also been blamed for increasing house prices in the area as more people begin to view it as a burgeoning metropolis.
On the other hand, one local official, Eddie Trevino Jr., told the Times that while some locals believe the impact of Musk’s business expansions is “unforgivable,” he believes the “pros outweigh the cons” in benefits to the area — and its economy.
“We’ve been looking and fighting and striving for better-paying jobs for generations,” he went on.
Media sources also indicate that Musk’s eponymous foundation has also pledged about $10 million to redeveloping Brownsville’s historic downtown area, which has seen a boom in new businesses of late, including hotels, coffee shops, and restaurants.
Musk is father to 11 children, including three kids with musician Grimes. (Picture: Instagram/Grimes)
He also has three children with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis. (Picture: X/Shivon Zilis
He welcomed six children with first wife Justine Wilson. However, their firstborn died of sudden infant death syndrome at just 10 weeks old. (Picture: X)
MORE: Elon Musk hails massive Aussie milestone
It remains to be seen whether Musk’s alleged plans for a family “compound” will be brought to life in the Brownsville area — particularly given that many of his children are currently living in different locations across the country.
Fascinating stories of Musk’s ambitious visions have floated before.
Last year, whispers of a Texan “utopia” emerged — a town named Snailbrook near his bustling SpaceX and Boring Company campuses.
Musk acquired over 1416ha just outside Austin for this ambitious plan, envisioning it as a “utopia” for employees to live and work, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
The billionaire has welcomed 12 children since 2002. Sadly, his firstborn died of sudden infant death syndrome at just 10 weeks old.
Musk shares five children with his first wife, Justine Wilson: transgender daughter, Vivian, from whom he is estranged, and her twin, Griffin, both of whom are now 20; and triplets Saxon, Damian, and Kai.
Following his divorce from Wilson, Musk had a highly publicised relationship with British actor Talulah Riley, whom he wed and divorced on two occasions. The pair never had children.
He has three children with musician Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher: X Æ A-Xii, 4, who is known as X; Exa Dark Sideræl, 2, who is known as Y; and Techno Mechanicus, who was born in 2022 and goes by Tau.
He secretly welcomed twins with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis in 2021, then confirmed in 2024 that they had a third child. The names of these three children have not been revealed.
Musk who is a staunch advocate for population growth through IVF, has reportedly offered his own ‘magical’ contribution to friends and acquaintances, though not all have accepted his unusual proposition.
“It should be considered a national emergency to have kids,” he posted in June. Another post read, “I’m doing my best to encourage more people to become parents and ideally have three or more kids, so humanity can grow.”
Parts of this article first appeared in Realtor and were republished with permission.
English (US) · 