Growth undergoing sea change in Ocean County

As we noted in one of today's editorials, "A new era of growth," http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061129/OPINION/611290360/1029, development patterns have shifted dramatically in New Jersey over the past two years. Ocean County, which led the state in building permits issued for the past three decades, has now moved into fifth place. Replacing Ocean and Monmouth counties as Nos. 1 and 2 are Hudson and Essex, where redevelopment is in full bloom.
The growth leaders by decade by county: 1940s, Bergen, Essex; 1950s, Bergen, Middlesex; 1960s, Middlesex, Bergen; 1970s, Ocean, Camden; 1980s, Ocean, Middlesex; 1990s, Ocean, Monmouth; 2000-2004, Ocean, Monmouth.
Between 1960 and 2004, more than 23,000 building permits were issued in Ocean County. Monmouth County was a distant second, with more than 15,000.