Rural Spur and Dickens County— situated in the bottom third of Texas’ counties with a per capita household income of just under $50,000 (Texas Association of Counties, 2022) — is by no means a backwater of poverty, though in recent years both county and city have been short on resources to boost growth.
Things look to be on the verge of change. With bitcoin miner Galaxy Digital now ranking as the county’s top contributor of property tax, and other high-tech industries poised to build out facilities locally, even with the tradeoff of incentives these are signs of a resurgent future. (It’s worth tracking the fortunes of the industry, if you haven’t followed what the New York Times dubbed “The Crypto Comeback” in a May 21 podcast.)
Let’s show our appreciation to Galaxy for making possible the dream of cool blue water in our Swenson Park swimming pool once more. They went out on a limb to invest in our community—and it’s up to us to leverage that spirit of improvement into our own pledges to pitch in, to clean up, to participate more wisely in our county’s guidance and government.
Consider how you can learn more about the issues we face in funding our infrastructure, and help your commissioners and council members find solutions. Register to vote. Collaborate with your Chamber of Commerce. Patronize your downtowns—where parks have been undergoing beautification work, restaurants are there to serve up tasty meals, and new businesses are opening.
Grab the kids and grandkids, head to the pool, and let your mind range over the horizon to innovative ideas. Plunge in. The water’s fine.
