To protect the observatoryРІР‚в„ўs work, as well as the operations of a nearby spy installation, the US government created the National Radio Quiet Zone in 1958. ThatРІР‚в„ўs because it is home to the over six-decade-old Green Bank Observatory, which requires radio silence to be able to peer deep into space to observe stars and black holes.

РІР‚СљComing here and being able - if you want - to get away from it (internet), there is a certain cleansing that comes to you, that gives you time to clear your mind,РІР‚Сњ the 59-year-old owner of a gift shop told AFP.Р”В«ut Green Bank is changing: Wifi is officially discouraged but has become common, property values are climbing and not everyone agrees about what comes next for this seeming digital age refuge that is fraught with complexity.Р”Вespite its population of under 200 people and remote location among rolling hills, dense forests and farms about four hoursРІР‚в„ў drive from the US capital Washington, it is a place of international fascination. She has internet at her property in Green Bank, West Virginia but as soon as she leaves home - and is not on someone elseРІР‚в„ўs connection - there are no pings, dings or rings.

Radio silence zone