'Silent' Town: No Wifi, No Mobile Signals for Over 60 Years

Green Bank, West Virginia is known as the quietest town in America. It has some strange laws prohibiting the use of electronic devices, but it has the most advanced scientific equipment.

A place to observe signals from space

In 1956, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory was established in Green Bank. Astrophysicist Frank Drake was the first person in the world to use the telescope here to search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

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The following year, this area was chosen to become the "silent zone" because of the sparse population of Pocahontas County and the surrounding mountains that shield it from outside waves. Later, many other radio observatories for observing the universe were built here. And to avoid signal interruption and interference, all types of waves that could affect the performance of scientific equipment are blocked here. This means that there are no radios, TVs, Wifi, cell phones or Bluetooth signals in this town, and even microwaves are not recommended for use.

The special truck

The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope at Green Bank weighs 17 million pounds and spans about 2 acres. It can be heard from hundreds of millions of miles away. The area around this important telescope is heavily monitored for interference.

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Within a mile of the telescope, vehicles powered by spark plugs are banned because they emit waves that can drown out the sounds received from the galaxies, so only diesel engines are allowed. Workers here use walkie-talkies on specific frequencies to communicate with each other.

A Dodge Ram pickup truck with giant omnidirectional antennas mounted on its roof, a receiver, a Doppler system, and a spectrum analyzer inside, patrols the area. The truck is capable of detecting sources of radio frequency interference from cell phones, microwaves, wireless devices, or arcing lines that can disrupt sound from outside.

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There are about 25-30 staff rooms on the observatory grounds. All staff living here must sign a waiver to not use wireless devices and microwaves. If they violate the rules, they will face legal prosecution.

In addition, satellite beams and aircraft using radar are also prohibited here because they can cause interference.

Life of people at Green Bank

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Town residents still have a separate radio station and a landline phone line, with Internet, either with dial-up service or Ethernet cable.

The people of Green Bank live a simple life and do not seem to mind the lack of Wifi and TV. They even do not like that if the secret of this place is revealed, many people will flock here and affect their peaceful life.

Jessica Tanner

Update 09 December 2024