He also noted cell service is already available at nearby Snowshoe ski resort, a key economic driver locally that draws floods of tourists in the snowy months.Īs the resort has grown to include high-end lodging, restaurants and shops, property values in surrounding Pocahontas County have by some measures increased at almost triple the national rate over the past decade.
"People that live in this area are denied a safety net," the bed and breakfast owner said, adding a car accident in a remote area could become very serious without the ability to call for help. Green Bank native Patrick Coleman, 69, argued that the lack of cell service is dangerous and needs to end. "You visit, you listen to other people," said the 78-year-old from Indiana. While visiting Green Bank Observatory, tourist Nancy Showalter was surprised to learn why her phone couldn't get a signal, but she also said she had quickly come to like the silence. It's a pitch that resonates in the United States, where Pew Research data shows 85 percent of US adults say they have a smartphone and nearly a third report they are "almost constantly" online.Ī tombstone marking a grave near the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia / © "In a world today where we can never go more than a minute or two without hearing the beep or the buzz of a technology device, it is the place you can go to get away from all of this," said Chelsea Ruby, the state's secretary of tourism. West Virginia state tourism officials promote this quirk of the area as the "ultimate digital detox". Locals said wireless internet has become widespread in recent years and that they hadn't faced any sanctions, despite rules that technically allow violators to be fined $50.Įven before WiFi's proliferation, locals got their dose of Netflix or Facebook via hardwired internet connections, yet cell service has remained non-existent under the rules. The zone imposes limits and oversight on man made radio waves in the 13,000 square miles (almost 34,000 square kilometers) that surround Green Bank, where restrictions are officially supposed to be tightest on electronic noise makers like WiFi routers. Yvonne Wallech looks at her mobile phone while tending to her gift shop in Green Bank, West Virginia / ©
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