Residents in rural Hood County, Texas, are voting on whether to incorporate as the township of Mitchell Bend to address constant noise from a nearby cryptocurrency mining facility. The proposed town would span about two square miles and include a few hundred residents. Despite the facility operating within legal sound limits, locals say the incessant hum disrupts their quiet rural life.
In Hood County, southwest of Fort Worth and just outside Granbury, voters headed to the polls on November 3, 2025, to decide on the incorporation of Mitchell Bend, named after the two-lane highway running through the area. The push for township status stems from frustration with a cryptocurrency mining facility that has operated along the highway for about two years.
Local resident Cheryl Shadden, who lives near the site, expressed her disappointment: “I moved out here for peace and quiet and to have horses and dogs and to live a quiet life.” She described the facility's equipment producing a constant humming noise audible from her backyard, varying in intensity but present 24/7. Neighbor Danny Lakey has been monitoring the sound with a decibel meter, recording levels of 75 to 76 decibels in the morning and in the high 60s range. A Hood County study found neighborhood sound levels ranging from 35 to 53 decibels, all below the state's 85-decibel limit.
Despite compliance with regulations, Shadden noted, “It doesn’t just stop at your walls... You hear it 24/7.” Lakey added, “This is not reasonable,” pointing out that his backyard firepit and outdoor amenities go unused due to the noise. For two years, residents have sought resolutions through discussions with facility leaders, county officials, and state representatives in Austin, but to no avail.
By incorporating, proponents aim to establish a local government to enact noise and environmental ordinances tailored to the issue. “We’re at the point of incorporation,” Shadden said. The measure appeared on the November ballot after a successful petition drive, with “Incorporate Mitchell Bend” signs dotting the area. However, opposition exists, with some residents displaying “vote no” signs over concerns about increased taxes, government oversight, and regulations they moved to unincorporated land to escape.
The facility's operator, MARA Holdings, which acquired the site in 2024, has responded aggressively. A spokesperson stated: “We filed this challenge because we had no choice. The current incorporation effort serves no lawful or legitimate purpose and is legally invalid. It seeks only to target specific businesses—including MARA—with punitive taxes and restrictive ordinances... MARA is deeply committed to creating jobs, supporting local communities, and being good neighbors. We have invested millions of dollars to enhance the Granbury site... including transitioning the vast majority of the site to immersion cooling, and completing construction of a sound wall around the facility. Moreover, independent sound studies... have confirmed that we continue to operate well below state and county legal sound limits.”
Shadden and Lakey acknowledged MARA's mitigation efforts, such as the sound wall, but insisted the noise persists. Lakey emphasized, “We did not want to be in a city, we did not want all the regulations,” but argued that incorporation is necessary since higher levels of government have failed to help. “There are people here who are impacted by this. They want to sleep in their beds in peace at night,” Shadden added.