Danny Lakey and his wife used to spend quiet evenings on their front porch in rural Hood County, Texas, watching the sun set over nearby grazing cows. That peaceful life was what they hoped for when they bought their log home in 2021. Now, their rocking chairs sit mostly empty.
Since 2023, a large cryptocurrency mining facility opened just half a mile away, bringing nonstop noise that neighbors call “that roar.” People compare the sound to a plane that never lands or a lawnmower that never turns off. One local official described it as “sleeping with a leafblower under your pillow.” The noise comes from thousands of fans cooling tens of thousands of computers racing to mine bitcoins inside containers near a tight-knit community of about 600 people.
Residents have asked the company, Marathon Holdings, to reduce the noise. The Florida-based firm built a tall, long sound barrier and switched some cooling methods, but the noise remains near the state’s 85-decibel limit—about as loud as a blender. The disturbance has driven many locals indoors and is blamed for health problems like hearing loss and high blood pressure.
Frustrated, Lakey and others led an effort to form their own city called Mitchell Bend, named after the highway that runs through the area. If voters approve the plan in November, this two-square-mile town would gain the power to set its own noise rules, something Hood County currently can’t do. Texas counties don’t have the authority to enforce noise limits; only cities and the state can.
Marathon opposes the move and asked a county official to block the vote, citing concerns about invalid signatures on the petition. The company highlights the jobs and tax revenue it brings, saying it has invested over $1.2 billion in Texas and supports local schools and nonprofits.
But many residents feel trapped. Some moved to the country to avoid city rules and regulations, only to face loud disturbances they can’t control. Others worry their property values have dropped. One neighbor reported taking vitamin supplements to cope with health issues she links to the noise.
This situation is not unique in Texas. As crypto mining grows, rural areas are increasingly hosting massive data centers drawn by cheap land and power, plus tax breaks. Texas leads the nation with at least 27 bitcoin facilities, using more electricity than most states.
Some communities have incorporated before to fight industrial nuisances, like gravel mining dust. Still, lawmakers in Texas have not given counties the power to regulate noise, leaving small communities like Mitchell Bend to consider cityhood as a last resort.
For now, many residents say they simply want to live in peace. Lakey sums up their feeling, saying, “You can be here, I don’t mind. Just be quiet, be a good neighbor." They hope that becoming a city will finally give them a chance to quiet the relentless hum and reclaim their evenings on the porch.