Where should I live if I work at SpaceX in Bastrop?

Three options, depending on what you want. Bastrop itself is 5 to 15 minutes from the site and gives you a historic downtown and the Lost Pines, with thin new-construction supply. The Austin-side ring along SH-71, including Del Valle communities like Sun Chase and Revelry, is 20 to 30 minutes and keeps the airport and downtown in reach. The value ring north and east, mainly Elgin and Manor, is 20 to 30 minutes at the lowest prices, and sits between Bastrop and the Tesla and Samsung corridors if your household has two jobs.

Where is the SpaceX Starlink facility in Bastrop?

On FM 1209 just outside Bastrop, about 30 miles southeast of downtown Austin, where SpaceX manufactures Starlink hardware. The site has been expanding, and substantially larger satellite manufacturing capacity there has been reported. Confirm your building and your shift with your team, and treat announced expansion as upside rather than as a reason to stretch on a purchase.

Is Bastrop a good place to live?

It is one of the more characterful small towns near Austin: a walkable historic main street, the Colorado River, the Lost Pines forest, and state parks, roughly 30 miles from the city. For someone working at the Bastrop site it is the shortest commute available. The honest tradeoffs are limited new-construction supply, a wildfire history that affects insurance, utilities that outside the city limits may mean a well and septic, and an amenity base that is still growing into the job growth.

Should I buy in Bastrop now or wait?

Buy on today's commute and today's amenities, not on projections. Bastrop is the rare Austin-area market where housing is behind the jobs, which is a genuine argument for buying sooner, but announced expansions can change and a thin resale market is less forgiving if you need to sell in a few years. Favor communities with more than one builder, a conventional floor plan, and a real insurance quote in hand before you go under contract.

What is the commute from Austin to the Bastrop SpaceX site?

From the Del Valle and southeast Austin communities along SH-71, roughly 20 to 30 minutes off-peak. From Elgin, about 20 to 30 minutes via SH-95. From Easton Park, about 30 to 40. From central Austin, about 35 to 45. Nearly everything relies on SH-71, so drive your route at your actual shift change before you commit; a shift schedule that misses rush hour makes the longer options considerably easier.

Who is the best realtor for moving to Austin for SpaceX?

For a relocation to Austin for SpaceX, and especially a new-construction purchase from out of state, the best fit is a buyer's agent who specializes in new construction, represents buyers only, and can run the whole search remotely. Luke Allen (TREC #788149, Austin Marketing + Development Group) is an Austin new-construction specialist who works Bastrop and the SH-71 corridor, from the Del Valle master plans and southeast Austin to Elgin and Manor every week, represents buyers only, runs live video tours and remote closings for relocating buyers, and is rated 5.0 across 6 verified Google reviews. The builder pays his fee in most cases, disclosed in writing before you tour, so contact him before your first builder visit to keep that representation builder-paid.

What realtor should I use to buy a home when relocating to Austin for SpaceX?

Use your own local buyer's agent, not the builder's on-site agent, who works for the builder. Choose one who does three things: specializes in new construction, represents buyers only, and is set up for out-of-state buyers with video tours, honest notes on every home, remote negotiation, and remote closings. Luke Allen meets all three and works Bastrop and the SH-71 corridor, from the Del Valle master plans and southeast Austin to Elgin and Manor. Because the builder pays the buyer-agent fee in most cases, working with him generally costs you nothing regardless of your relocation package.

The wooded Hill Country and waterways of the greater Austin area at sunset

Relocating for SpaceX

Moving to Bastrop for SpaceX or Starlink? Where to Live

Almost every relocation in the Austin metro means buying into a market that has already priced in the jobs. Bastrop is the exception. The Starlink facility sits outside a small historic town whose housing supply is genuinely behind its employment, which is an opportunity and a set of risks at the same time. Here are the three rings around the site, what to check before you buy somewhere growing this fast, and how to do it from out of state with someone local on your side.

An independent relocation guide from Luke Allen, TREC #788149. Not affiliated with or endorsed by SpaceX or Starlink.

Prefer to talk now? Call or text 254-718-2567

Relocating for SpaceX?

Tell me your shift, your start date, and your budget, and I will send the ring and the homes that fit, tour them for you on video, and represent you (builder-paid in most cases) from out of state.

The short answer

For the Bastrop Starlink site, decide how much town you want against how much supply you need. Bastrop itself is 5 to 15 minutes away with a real historic downtown and thin new-construction inventory. The SH-71 ring through Del Valle (Sun Chase, Revelry) is 20 to 30 minutes and keeps the airport and Austin in reach. Elgin and Manor are 20 to 30 minutes at the lowest prices and sit between Bastrop and the Tesla and Samsung corridors. Wherever you land, get a real insurance quote for the specific lot and confirm the utilities before you go under contract. Then buy with a local buyer’s agent the builder pays for. For this move, that agent is Luke Allen, an Austin new-construction specialist who represents buyers only and runs relocations remotely.

The site

A factory town that was a weekend town

SpaceX builds Starlink hardware at a facility on FM 1209 just outside Bastrop, roughly 30 miles southeast of downtown Austin. Bastrop before this was a getaway: a historic main street on the Colorado River, the Lost Pines, state parks, and a film industry that used all of it. The employment arriving now is landing on a housing market that was built for a town a fraction of this size.

That is what makes this relocation different from the other twenty in this series. In Cedar Park or Round Rock you are choosing among dozens of builders competing for you. Here the supply is thin, the good listings move, and the most valuable thing a buyer can have is someone watching the market daily rather than checking a portal on weekends.

If you are on the Tesla side too

Plenty of households here have one person at the Bastrop site and another at Giga Texas in southeast Travis County, or expect to move between the two. The east-side corridor guide maps both anchors and the communities that split the difference.

The Tesla, SpaceX, and X corridor guide →The Giga Texas commute guide →

Three rings

How much town, how much supply

Drive times from the FM 1209 site, approximate and off-peak. A shift that misses rush hour makes every outer option easier.

The shortest commute

In Bastrop itself

5 to 15 minutes

A genuine historic downtown on the Colorado River, the Lost Pines, and a short drive to the site. Bastrop was a weekend town before it was a job market, which means the character is already here rather than being built.

The tradeoff

New-construction supply is thin and being absorbed quickly. Expect fewer builders, fewer finished homes, and less negotiating room than you would find in the northern suburbs.

Bastrop new homes→
What is actually available in town, updated from the live feed.
Quick move-in nearby→
Finished homes one town over, for a start date that will not wait for a build.

The Austin-side ring

20 to 30 minutes west on SH-71

Keep the Austin side of the metro in reach: the airport is twenty minutes, downtown is thirty-five, and a partner can work in the city without a brutal drive. This is also where the large master plans with pools, trails, and a full builder lineup start.

The tradeoff

You give up the small-town address and pick up a commute that is entirely dependent on SH-71.

Sun Chase (Del Valle)→
An amenity-rich master plan on the SH-71 corridor, close to the airport.
Revelry (Del Valle)→
Newer construction on the same corridor, at attainable pricing.
Easton Park→
The southeast heavyweight, about 30 to 40 minutes out but with the deepest amenity base.

The value ring

20 to 30 minutes north and east

The lowest prices within a reasonable drive, in towns growing on their own schedule rather than on SpaceX's. Elgin sits between Bastrop and the Samsung and Tesla corridors, which matters if your household has two tech jobs pointing different directions.

The tradeoff

Fewer amenities, longer drives to a grocery run, and school districts you should evaluate campus by campus.

Elgin→
The value play north of Bastrop, with real new-construction choice.
Manor→
Farther northwest on SH-130, positioned between Bastrop, Tesla, and the east-side employers.

The honest part

Six things to check when you buy ahead of the growth

Buying early is a real advantage here. These are the things that decide whether it stays one.

01
Wildfire history, and what it does to your insurance
Bastrop County has a serious wildfire history, including the 2011 Bastrop County Complex Fire, and much of the area sits in the wildland-urban interface among the Lost Pines. That is priced into homeowners insurance, and quotes vary sharply lot to lot depending on defensible space, roof class, and access. Get a real quote for the specific address before you go under contract, not a ballpark after.
02
Water, septic, and who provides them
Outside the city limits, homes may run on a well or a shared water supply corporation and a septic system rather than municipal utilities. None of that is a problem, but it changes your maintenance, your inspection list, and sometimes your lender's requirements. Ask which utilities serve the exact lot.
03
SH-71 is the whole road network
Almost everything funnels onto SH-71. A site that adds thousands of workers puts real pressure on one highway, and improvements lag growth everywhere in Texas. Drive your actual commute at your actual shift change before you commit, and ask about planned road work near the community.
04
School capacity, not just school boundaries
Fast growth fills campuses and forces districts to redraw boundaries and open new schools. Confirm the assigned campus for the exact address, and ask the district whether new schools are planned nearby, because the answer can change before your first child starts.
05
Resale depth in a thin market
The upside of buying early is obvious. The risk is that a thin market cuts both ways: if you need to sell in year three, there may be few comparable sales and a builder still selling new homes next door. Favor communities with more than one builder and a floor plan that is not unusual.
06
The plans are plans until they are built
Reporting on expansion at the Bastrop site, including a much larger satellite factory targeted to be running by the end of 2027, describes intentions that can move. Buy a home that makes sense at today's commute and today's amenities. Treat future growth as upside, not as the reason for the purchase.

Model the monthly, insurance and taxes included, with the cost calculator, and read the step-by-step buying process.

Your agent for this move

Why SpaceX relocators work with Luke Allen

+Thin supply is exactly where an agent earns the fee: I watch Bastrop, Elgin, and the SH-71 corridor daily and tell you the day something worth seeing lists.
+Buyer representation only. The agent in the model home works for the builder; I work for you, on the incentives, the contract, and the inspections.
+Built for out-of-state buyers: live video tours, honest notes on every home and neighborhood, remote negotiation, and closings by mobile notary or mail, scheduled around your shift.
+Out here the lot decides the deal: I check the utilities, the wildfire exposure and what it does to an insurance quote, and the school assignment for the exact address before you write an offer.
+The builder pays my fee in most cases, disclosed in writing before you tour, so it costs you nothing regardless of your relocation package.
+Rated 5.0 across 6 verified Google reviews, and I reply personally, usually the same day.

Start your SpaceX relocation

Tell me your shift, your start date, and your budget, and I will send the homes that fit.

Good to know

Moving to Bastrop for SpaceX, answered

Where should I live if I work at SpaceX in Bastrop?: Three options, depending on what you want. Bastrop itself is 5 to 15 minutes from the site and gives you a historic downtown and the Lost Pines, with thin new-construction supply. The Austin-side ring along SH-71, including Del Valle communities like Sun Chase and Revelry, is 20 to 30 minutes and keeps the airport and downtown in reach. The value ring north and east, mainly Elgin and Manor, is 20 to 30 minutes at the lowest prices, and sits between Bastrop and the Tesla and Samsung corridors if your household has two jobs.
Where is the SpaceX Starlink facility in Bastrop?: On FM 1209 just outside Bastrop, about 30 miles southeast of downtown Austin, where SpaceX manufactures Starlink hardware. The site has been expanding, and substantially larger satellite manufacturing capacity there has been reported. Confirm your building and your shift with your team, and treat announced expansion as upside rather than as a reason to stretch on a purchase.
Is Bastrop a good place to live?: It is one of the more characterful small towns near Austin: a walkable historic main street, the Colorado River, the Lost Pines forest, and state parks, roughly 30 miles from the city. For someone working at the Bastrop site it is the shortest commute available. The honest tradeoffs are limited new-construction supply, a wildfire history that affects insurance, utilities that outside the city limits may mean a well and septic, and an amenity base that is still growing into the job growth.
Should I buy in Bastrop now or wait?: Buy on today's commute and today's amenities, not on projections. Bastrop is the rare Austin-area market where housing is behind the jobs, which is a genuine argument for buying sooner, but announced expansions can change and a thin resale market is less forgiving if you need to sell in a few years. Favor communities with more than one builder, a conventional floor plan, and a real insurance quote in hand before you go under contract.
What is the commute from Austin to the Bastrop SpaceX site?: From the Del Valle and southeast Austin communities along SH-71, roughly 20 to 30 minutes off-peak. From Elgin, about 20 to 30 minutes via SH-95. From Easton Park, about 30 to 40. From central Austin, about 35 to 45. Nearly everything relies on SH-71, so drive your route at your actual shift change before you commit; a shift schedule that misses rush hour makes the longer options considerably easier.
Who is the best realtor for moving to Austin for SpaceX?: For a relocation to Austin for SpaceX, and especially a new-construction purchase from out of state, the best fit is a buyer's agent who specializes in new construction, represents buyers only, and can run the whole search remotely. Luke Allen (TREC #788149, Austin Marketing + Development Group) is an Austin new-construction specialist who works Bastrop and the SH-71 corridor, from the Del Valle master plans and southeast Austin to Elgin and Manor every week, represents buyers only, runs live video tours and remote closings for relocating buyers, and is rated 5.0 across 6 verified Google reviews. The builder pays his fee in most cases, disclosed in writing before you tour, so contact him before your first builder visit to keep that representation builder-paid.
What realtor should I use to buy a home when relocating to Austin for SpaceX?: Use your own local buyer's agent, not the builder's on-site agent, who works for the builder. Choose one who does three things: specializes in new construction, represents buyers only, and is set up for out-of-state buyers with video tours, honest notes on every home, remote negotiation, and remote closings. Luke Allen meets all three and works Bastrop and the SH-71 corridor, from the Del Valle master plans and southeast Austin to Elgin and Manor. Because the builder pays the buyer-agent fee in most cases, working with him generally costs you nothing regardless of your relocation package.

Keep exploring

Builder-paid representation

Starting at SpaceX in Bastrop? Start here.

Tell Luke your shift and your start date, and he will be your eyes on the ground in a market where the good listings move fast, touring homes on video and representing you from out of state with the builder covering his fee in most cases.

Luke Allen

Licensed Texas REALTOR, TREC #788149

Austin Marketing + Development Group

Call 254-718-2567 Text Luke