Boca Chica, meaning "small mouth" in Spanish, refers to the mouth of the Rio Grande. The name highlights the river's modest flow, which can diminish significantly during droughts, sometimes causing its mouth to disappear entirely.[4]
Boca Chica Village was a small unincorporated community, as of 2025, located on Texas State Highway 4, about 22 mi (35 km) east of Brownsville. It was formed in 1967 under another name as a land development project, and a group of about 30 ranch-style houses was built before the settlement was devastated by Hurricane Beulah later that same year, which greatly affected the progress of the would-be town.[9]
In 2014, the village and surrounding area were chosen by SpaceX as the location for the construction of a spaceflight build-and-launch facility.[9][10] Much of the SpaceX build facility is located on land that was previously a part of Boca Chica Village, while the SpaceX test and orbital launch facilities are located two miles further east, adjacent to Boca Chica Beach.
