For months, a group of Hood County, Texas, residents has been pushing to create a new town of their own. The effort began in March, when citizens living in a 2-square-mile unincorporated stretch of the county, about 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth, started gathering signatures to form what they hope will become the city of Mitchell Bend.
By April, organizers believed they had enough support and submitted their petition to county officials. After it was verified, Hood County Judge Ron Massingill agreed to place the incorporation question on the November ballot. But what seemed like a straightforward process soon ran into complications—disputes that have only deepened in the months since.
At the heart of the fight is a Bitcoin mining operation that sits inside the same unincorporated area. The facility, owned by Florida-based Mara Holdings, has become a flashpoint for residents who say its nonstop noise has made daily life unbearable. What began as a push for self-governance has quickly turned into a broader battle over corporate power, local control, and the future of their community.
Attorneys for Mara challenged the petition, arguing that it contained at most 42 valid signatures—short of the minimum required. Earlier this month, Massingill vacated the petition on those grounds.
A second petition was then circulated, this time securing 59 qualified signatures. Massingill approved it on August 13. Still, outrage over the first petition’s invalidation remains strong.
One resident, Cheryl Shadden, has accused Massingill of official oppression and election interference, alleging he unlawfully invalidated the first petition without notifying residents of his decision.
Although the second petition guarantees the issue will appear on the ballot, Shadden is pressing forward with her lawsuit.
“You look at us in this rural community. People think we are a bunch of country bumpkins,” Shadden told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “You cannot stomp people into the ground like this. You don’t answer to a conglomerate.”
Mara Holdings did not respond to Fast Company’s request for comment on the incorporation effort. The residents’ concerns, however, echo familiar complaints across Texas, which has become a hub for cryptocurrency mining.
Neighbors of such facilities often report sleep disturbances, tinnitus, or even permanent hearing loss. Others say property values have fallen. Climate advocacy group Earthjustice has also sued, claiming that Mara—also known as Marathon Digital Holdings—“creates a private nuisance by causing and then failing to mitigate excessive noise pollution caused by their 24/7 proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining operations.”
If residents succeed in forming Mitchell Bend, the new town could enact ordinances to regulate the mining facility. That could quiet the noise but also cut into the company’s production and profits.
The Hood County facility isn’t Mara’s only Texas operation. In Glasscock County, more than four hours west, the company—one of the world’s largest Bitcoin miners—recently purchased a 200-megawatt data center near a wind farm. Mara says the site will reduce operating expenses by 20%.
Despite Bitcoin’s gains this year, spurred in part by legislative actions in Washington such as the GENIUS Act, miners like Mara have not enjoyed stock market success. While Bitcoin prices are up nearly 20% year to date, Mara shares have dropped 11% in 2025, now hovering just over $15. Competitors have fared no better: Bitdeer Technologies has fallen 42.5%, to $13.15, and Core Scientific is down 5%, to $13.72.
Riot Platforms, however, has bucked the trend. Its shares are up 24% this year, currently trading around $13.
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