What is the importance of Toms River in the nonfiction book, Toms River?

Toms River is a community near the New Jersey shore. At the beginning of the book, it was sparsely populated, and many people lived off the land. It was in the middle of nowhere, as far as Ciba-Geigy was concerned. It was a perfect place to build a factory because there was no one around to complain about the pollution. As transportation improved, the town grew. The factory grew too. Soon, they were butting up against each other and their impact upon each other was unavoidable.