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Wealth

Elon Musk’s Planned Texas Fiefdom Is a Billionaire Tradition

From Ohio to Hawaii to Arkansas, wealthy tycoons have a long history of building communities molded around their personal philosophies.

Elon Musk speaks at the Tesla Giga Texas manufacturing "Cyber Rodeo" grand opening party in Austin on April 7, 2022.

Elon Musk speaks at the Tesla Giga Texas manufacturing "Cyber Rodeo" grand opening party in Austin on April 7, 2022.

Photographer: Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP/Getty Images

Centuries after fiefdoms were dismantled in most parts of the world, vestiges can still be found in the backyards of billionaires. 

In a rural county just east of Austin, Texas, Elon Musk is assembling his very own town, with new streets, recreational facilities, a school and subsidized housing for employees of Tesla Inc., SpaceX and the Boring Co., the Wall Street Journal reported last week. If approved, the municipality would occupy thousands of acres he’s personally acquired in recent years.