We just want to get to know him.įor now, she and most local residents will have to settle for glimpse of Bezos face on a wall painted on a mural in town with a rocket blasting off behind him. I guess that goes with territory of being a billionaire, people hitting him up. "I'm sure he's a very nice guy but we don't see much of him. In place where people know their neighbors, Morales and others look forward to the opportunity to meet the elusive Bezos someday. They include catering, cleaning and maintenance services according to Morales.īlue Origin employees also mentor the robotics team and the company also helped add a college curriculum course to the schools according to the company. The company has 50 additional contractors on site providing support services. The place is popular with locals "kind of like cheers where everybody knows your name," she said.ĪNGELA KOCHERGA / KTEP NEWS Blue Origin recently installed a sign at the entrance to the company’s launch site in far West Texas.īlue Origin has 275 employees in West Texas but the company did not specify how many live in Van Horn. The county commissioner is also a nurse practitioner at the local clinic, editor of local paper and owns the Cactus Cantina and grill. Morales moved back to take care of her aging parents. The old timers are dying," said Culberson County Commissioner Gilda Morales. The young kids graduate and hardly any of them come back. Like many struggling rural towns, young people leave for jobs in big cities. The reunion includes an ice cream social, a big dance and a chance to catch up with old friends who've moved away. Amy Morales has seen a few launches from the roof of the historic El Capitan Hotel where she's the assistant manager.īut a few days before the human flight She was more excited about another event, the Jubilee, a reunion of graduates from Van Horn High School, home of the Eagles. Some townspeople catch sight of a flight in the blue skies over the desert now and then. We see the influx of blue origin people coming in to support the launch," said Carillo. "We know something's brewing as many launches as they've had. Over the yeaers, Van Horn residents have figured out when there's a test flight. But the region is now part of a modern-day private space race. North there's oil and gas, traditional foundations of the Texas economy. Van Horn is a historic ranching town, about 120 miles east of El Paso. "I don't think people realized what they were doing out there, north of here," said Carillo.ĪNGELA KOCHERGA / KTEP NEWS Oscar Carillo is Sheriff of Culberson County which includes the region of West Texas where Jeff Bezos company Blue Origin has a launch site. The facility is closed to the public and as close as the people can watch since Blue Origin asked TxDOT to close highway 54 nearby.īezos’ company has been quietly operating here since 2000 and only recently put up a gleaming sign at the entrance of the launch site ahead of the first flight with people on board. Van Horn is about 20 miles from where Bezos company Blue Origin operates a launch site in a remote area of West Texas. But a crowd is expected in town for Tuesday's launch. Most people on I-10 drive past Van Horn on the way to somewhere else. "Van Horn being put on the map, it's exciting for some and there's some that are going to benefit economically from it," said Culberson County Sheriff Oscar Carillo. Van Horn, population about 2000, is the closest town to the launch site. ANGELA KOCHERGA / KTEP NEWS A mural in Van Horn features billionaire Jeff Bezos with a rocket blasting off behind him.īillionaire Jeff Bezos' flight to the edge of space with his brother and two other passengers has put this tiny West Texas town in the national spotlight.
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