MCGREGOR, Texas — It's a house that has stood the test of time.
But now owner Elisa Hirt said SpaceX is taking a toll on her home.
She caught the effects of the nearby launches on camera – knocking dishes off her shelves.
“Cracks my windows, rattle and shake. I have a broken window. When you’re jumping out of bed because big kabooms are happening and the walls are shaking and the windows sound like they’re rattling out, nobody seems to care,” Hirt said.
I've received several videos from people sharing similar experiences with SpaceX, a company that has transformed the city of McGregor in many ways.
“When you say SpaceX, people know exactly what you’re talking about,” Andrew Smith, the city's head of economic development, said.
Smith said that SpaceX has brought about 600 jobs, leases land from the city and spent about $1.5 billion in the last two years with Texas suppliers.
“So the economic impact is quite huge for what SpaceX is doing in McGregor as well as the state,” Smith said.
“For me personally I don’t mind the rocket noise. The town was founded on a railroad and the train bothers me more than the rocket noise,” Smith said.
“Some people don't like it, they don’t want to be around that,” realtor Marissa Tomler said.
I spoke with Tomler, who said not everyone wants to live with the rocket noise – but it doesn’t seem to be affecting housing sales in McGregor.
“So it just depends on the person, that’s why I make sure they’re very aware of the situation,” Tomler said.
SpaceX did not respond to our request for comment but those already living in McGregor said the noise just keeps getting worse no matter how much they voice their concerns.
“I just feel like I have not been listened to and I’ve just been brushed off and I know many of my neighbors feel the same way, they just feel like they’re just not being heard. They’re fine with them being there they just want them to be good neighbors like we are,” Hirt said.
