A federal committee is expected to vote Thursday, July 9, on a proposal to rename Boca Chica Beach as “Cyber Beach,” a change that has drawn opposition from Brownsville Mayor John Cowen and other local officials.
The proposal is before the Domestic Names Committee of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, which reviews proposed changes to official federal place names. According to reporting from the San Antonio Express-News, the proposal was submitted by Josh Hazel of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, as a nod to Tesla’s Cybertruck and the SpaceX activity near Starbase.
Boca Chica Beach, a roughly 3.5-mile stretch near the mouth of the Rio Grande and adjacent to SpaceX operations, has been listed in federal records under its current name since 1936.
Cowen publicly opposed the proposed change Wednesday.
“Along with Representative Gamez, I strongly oppose the consideration of the name change of Boca Chica Beach to Cyber Beach,” Cowen wrote in a social media post. “If you have an opinion on the proposed name change, I encourage you to share your comments by emailing BGNEXEC@usgs.gov. Your voice matters!!”
The Express-News reported that the proposal also faces opposition from the City of Starbase, Cameron County, the Texas Geographic Names Committee and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Texas Geographic Names Committee reportedly raised concerns that the proposed name could be associated with commercial branding.
If approved, the change would affect federal usage of the beach name, including federal map systems. Private companies and local communities are not necessarily required to use federal naming decisions.
The vote is expected Thursday as part of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names’ review of proposed domestic name changes.
Sources:
San Antonio Express-News
U.S. Board on Geographic Names
Mayor John Cowen social media post, screenshot provided to BTX Today
