Setbacks Change Pr. William Back to Pumpkin for Some

So much for the Jag dealership, the Presidents Cup, the white-coat lab jobs at Eli Lilly.

At least Wegmans is still coming.

That has been the refrain recently in hard-luck Prince William County, where old insecurities have resurfaced and hopes ride on the promise of a high-end supermarket.

In recent years, as massive colonials and country clubs have appeared, the county seemed to be irreversibly shedding its image as the declasse rural relative of Fairfax and Loudoun counties. Developers and real estate agents were eager to assure home buyers that the bulldozers had plowed under Prince William's former image for good. But though many residents are confident that the makeover is continuing, a series of setbacks in recent months has left others again feeling that pea of doubt about the county's reputation.

Last month, the PGA Tour announced that the Presidents Cup will not return to the Robert Trent Jones golf course in Gainesville, picking San Francisco instead. Drug maker Eli Lilly and Co. has halted the construction of its $325 million plant in Manassas, electing to tear down the half-built facility and ship hundreds of jobs elsewhere. And no Jaguar dealership is coming to the county after all, despite long-standing rumors.

So when someone asks Haymarket resident Jennifer Smith where she lives, she balks a little, even though it is an area stocked with $1 million homes.

"I'm hesitant to say Prince William County, because of its reputation," said Smith, a Fairfax native who bought a home in Dominion Valley three years ago. "At least now they're categorizing this as 'Western Prince William.' "

Certainly there are greater injustices in the world than the absence of a Nordstrom in Prince William. But just as luxury goods confer status on people, a county's prestige is often measured by its retail brands and restaurants. Although the latest census data show Prince William to be the seventh-wealthiest county in the country, it does not have a single fancy hotel or foreign luxury car dealership. Fine dining options are few.

"My wife and I were delighted to get a Ruby Tuesday, because other than McDonald's and Taco Bell, there wasn't a whole lot around here," said Southbridge resident Lin Taylor, who has a $700,000 home near the Potomac River and a sleek BMW in the driveway. "People who are not familiar with the area think Prince William is still trailer parks and used-car lots. It's not the same community it used to be; it's much more affluent."

Faced with the paucity of shopping and dining options, residents head for the highways, just as they do to get to work, and return to Fairfax or Loudoun for a nice meal or expensive birthday gift.

"If we want to go out to eat, we go to Tysons," said Dan Dehring, who moved to Dominion Valley with his family in December. "Nobody knows how many wealthy people there are out here, and the only place to eat is Foster's Grille and Subway.

"My friends think I'm nuts for living here," he said, "but I think the infrastructure will catch up."