Woe Is Prince William?
By Greg L | 9 March 2007 | Local Economy | 14 Comments
Courtesy of Doug over at Below The Beltway, we see the Washington Post has tried to apply its own standard of quality of life towards Prince William County, and predictably it has come up short according to their yardstick. According to the Post, if you don’t have a Jaguar dealer or a Nordstrom’s, it’s nearly impossible to shake the image that the county is nothing but a collection of backwater hicks with no other option but to drool over the selection at Wal-Mart. That the quality of life can supposedly be measured by the number of “upscale” retail establishments says much more about the twisted values of this Washington Post reporter than it does about what is, and should be, of real value to Prince William County residents.
The Post has overlooked the possibility that perhaps we don’t especially care to live like those subjected to what Fairfax County has become. Maybe the quaintness of Tim’s Rivershore, the cajun food at Okra’s, the ethnic delight of Carmello’s Little Portugal, and the patriotic Globe & Laurel adequately satisfy our tastes, and we don’t particularly need the kinds of restaurants mentioned by the Post. Perhaps we value a visit to Manassas Battlefield National Park or the Marine Corps Museum a little more highly than being herded through Tyson’s Galleria or Tyson’s II, or whatever other nightmare of mall-dom Fairfax residents must suffer through in the absence of an Old Town such as we are blessed with both in Occoquan and Manassas. For us the beauty of horse country of Western Prince William, the peacefulness of Prince William Forest Park, or the tranquility of a day on the Occoquan River far surpass the crowded over-development and clutter of Fairfax.
We live in houses that aren’t generally shoehorned onto ridiculously small lots, stacked on top of our neighbors in “trendy” condos, or caged in high-rise apartments where few know their neighbors and community exists only in name. We certainly do not measure the worth of our community based on how far we might be from a luxury car dealership or whether it’s convenient for us to obtain some overpriced fashion accessory at prices we would consider outrageously extravagant. Many of us would rather enjoy the sight of a bald eagle riding the air currents in our back yard, the flash of a red fox racing across the fairway of one of our world-class golf courses, or the opportunity for a bike ride far enough away from traffic so that our lives are not endangered in the process of getting some exercise.
Sure, Prince William has it’s challenges. It’s got too many illegal aliens who live here and work in Fairfax county. Our housing market sometimes gets distorted when economic refugees displaced by insane housing prices in Fairfax relocate to Prince William as a survival measure. When some of these folks arrive with their Fairfax values system, it can cause some problems as well. We’re working hard to address these challenges, and I’m optimistic that we’ll get the upper hand here soon.
I’m actually glad that there’s a Fairfax, where those who measure the value of their community by the sticker shock they’re subjected to at local retail establishments, such as this Washington Post reporter, can happily live and find genuine fulfillment in their lives. It keeps them from intruding within my beloved Prince William County and polluting it with their values. Perhaps an article like this will help to discourage them from moving here, and in the end I should be thankful for this article rather than disturbed by it.
I don’t want a Gucci store in Prince William County. All it’s going to do is attract liberals.
The opinions expressed here are solely the views of the author, and not representative of the position of any organization, political party, doughnut shop, knitting guild, or waste recycling facility, but may be correctly attributed to the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. If anything in the above article has offended you, please click here to receive an immediate apology.
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Dude I live in Fairfax County and your not missing much if that is what your into. That Post story was condecending tripe I had ever read. What crap.
I lived in Fairfax, in a very upscale section to be exact, and I hated it. Fairfax feel clausterphobic and self-important. I moved to Manassas a couple of years back and have not questioned the choice. The Post article is missing the point, Manassas and Prince William (the “eastern” half if you will since those folks quoted from “western” half seem to want to cecede) has a real community with people who actually speak to each other and attend community events. My friends in Fairfax look wistful when I tell them about the latest neighborhood block party in my neighborhood or the festivals my children enjoy in Old Town Manassas. Repeatedly I hear a familiar refrain from my Fairfax friends, “You mean … you actually KNOW your neighbors?” Um yes, Fairfax … we know our neighbors here in Manassas/Prince William. I’d chose a friendly environment over a “jag” dealership any day.
Great post BVBL. Im sorry to hear Stewart buys into that elitist crap. Maybe he should sit down and have lunch with the real estate broker in the article. Maybe she could instill a little pride in beliefs about Prince William.
Oh but of course that couldnt work out because she sells those horrible things called houses. You know, those useless things that those evil developers build.
Heavens knows Stewart couldnt be associated with such evil.
Now lets not bash Fairfax too much. I grew up in Reston and it was a very close-knit community. Its just different. Fairfax City, where I live, has worked very hard to keep its small town atmosphere. I think the farther you move west in the county it gets less and less neighborly. Its the difference between “new Fairfax” and “old Fairfax.” If you’ve lived here, you know what I’m talking about. Thats why all this super-development is so sad, too a point. The Fairfax of my childhood is gone.
Prince William is the 7th richest county in the Country. There are many well educated, highly successful people who would frequent nice places and high end retail.
We don’t have a Nordstrom because the county sold their sole to the devil the day they welcomed an outlet mall sticking us a Nordstrom Rack.
What I envy most about Fairfax is the network of hiking/biking trails, lots of parks (compared to PWC) and designated parks for dogs.
Greg, you hit the nail on the head with the many fine places we do have in PWC — The Globe & Laurel is a real treasure. That being said, there are some upscale things in the pipeline as well. A Jack Nicklaus signature golf course overlooking the Potomac River will be opening this fall. A luxury hotel and conference center is already under construction and will open right next to that. There is also a town center being built around that — Harbor Station — that has been designed by the person who designed Reston Town Center. Up the road, they’ve broken ground for Potomac Town Center which is where the Wegman’s will be as well as a Macy’s and a brand new Border’s in addition to other higher-end stores than currently exist here.
This will all ultimately give people choices right here within our own communities, which ultimately will help ease gridlock. As it is now, my family and I would rather go to Fredericksburg than to Tysons.
Aw, crapola. How are we going to discourage liberals from coming to Prince William County if we build our own version of a Reston Town Center? Maybe we can have an indoor firing rage on the premises? Or a Cabelas? We’ve got to do something before we get malled to death.
I’ll take Old Town Manassas over anything called “Town Center” any day of the week.
So does the glut of Japanese-style steakhouses in PWC not count as “upscale” dining? Of course, those all pale to the little Japanese restaurant off 28 in Manassas called Bamboo, which feels like a neighborhood restaurant that just happens to serve Japanese food (and the best I’ve had, on par with places in Fairfax).
Of course, this is simply urban elitism, which goes hand in hand with liberal elitism.
I can’t believe another real estate Broker would have made those comments had she known the full scoop of the story. Why in the world would any agent shoot his/her self in the foot. It has been my experience (from being misquoted once by the WP) that quite often things are out of context. Prince William is a beautiful place to live and work. Maybe we don’t have a Tyson’s but who here really cares? Potomac Mills has created enough traffic congestion. For those mentioned that don’t like the fact that they have to “travel” a little for classy dining and shopping - you knew where you were moving to when you decided to move to PWC - if you don’t like it go back where you came from!!
Sure PW and Manassas don’t get respect… nothing else is new. However, when you see the wave of illegal immigrants leaving the Peoples Republics of Alexandria and Arlington for the great freedom of the west (where we cater more to them then the above communities ever did), it’s easy to understand why we continue to be viewed as second class…
“it does not have a single fancy hotel or foreign luxury car dealership”
We have a Volvo dealership (although I think it’s actually in Manassas, not that I would expect the author of this story to have enough of a clue to know that Manassas is not part of PW County). We have an Acura dealership. We have Auto Advantage which specializes in used BMWs (this is in Manassas Park, again not a part of PW County).
I posted this on another blog - just wanted to show our response to the article, which was finally printed in the washpo:
As a native of the area, and now Chairman of the Prince William Regional Chamber of Commerce, I like to say that I grew up “with” Prince William. I have enjoyed watching Prince William come into its own, as we develop many of the positive traits associated with metropolitan areas—a strong economy, efficient public transportation, a wealth of recreational opportunities and diverse dining options—while maintaining our sense of community.
Nick Miroff’s recent article in the Washington Post referencing perceived “setbacks” in Prince William was a reminder that not everybody is aware of the vitality that characterizes the New Prince William. This is an area where business is thriving—a national ranking recently listed Prince William as having the nineteenth fastest growing job market. The area offers infrastructure to support high tech and research facilities, a highly educated workforce and attractive community resources. Lockheed Martin, Micron Technologies and General Dynamics are just a few of the established companies that have been drawn to Prince William’s business-friendly atmosphere and high quality of life.
The future is bright as well, with projects in the pipeline that will further enhance the region. Construction on the FBI field office is underway at Innovation Park. Harbor Station, planned for the Cherry Hill peninsula, will bring Prince William its first luxury hotel and conference center, as well a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course.
The National Museum of the Marine Corps is the first of three major projects adding to the already rich cultural offerings in Prince William. In the near future, it will be joined by the cutting-edge ScientPort, Northern Virginia’s Science Center and the Community Performing Arts Center at George Mason, a world-class performance and art space.
In the meantime, there is still much to see and do here. The area’s rich history can be traced through a series of museums and historic sites, including Manassas. Lovers of the arts will find quality theatre troupes, orchestras and dance groups, as well as national artists at Nissan Pavillion.
Fine-dining options include a perfectly glazed leg of lamb from Foundation in Manassas, a steak grilled just right at Dak’s Grill in Woodbridge or fresh seafood at Bonefish Grill in Gainesville. Also, the diversity of our restaurants easily rivals that of any metropolitan area; with choices such as Indian, Japanese and Thai readily available.
Shoppers can enjoy quaint shops in areas such as Occoquan and Old Town Manassas or one of the area’s two malls—Potomac Mills, home to outlets of high-end retailers such as Saks 5th Avenue and Nordstrom, and Manassas Mall, anchored by stores such as Macy’s.
As I look around at the economic growth and energy flowing through the community, I am confident that rather than turning into a pumpkin, Prince William is well on its way to living happily ever after.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Barnes
Bargain Boxes Moving & Storage
Chairman, Prince William Regional Chamber of Commerce
Great job, Rebecca. I really think you ought to add that by not pandering to ostentatious extravagance in the county, perhaps we can prevent Fairfax liberals from moving here and polluting the quality of our community with their twisted values.
But I understand that in your position, you might not be able to do that.
Momma said if you cant say anything nice………………….