U-Haul Migration Trends: Top 25 Canadian Growth Cities for 2018

Kingston ranked No. 1 for net gain of moving trucks last year; Ottawa still in top 5

PHOENIX, Ariz. (Jan. 4, 2019) — Kingston became the leading Canadian Growth City among U-Haul truck customers last year, according to U-Haul® data analyzing migration trends for 2018.

Kingston, located on the eastern end of Lake Ontario, rose 12 spots in the annual growth rankings to earn the No. 1 position. Victoria, Trenton, Halifax and Ottawa completed the top five cities for growth in 2018. Ottawa topped the rankings in 2017.

U-Haul Canadian Growth Cities are calculated by the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks entering a city versus leaving that city during a calendar year. Migration trends data is compiled from more than 2 million one-way U-Haul truck sharing transactions that occur annually in the U.S. and Canada.

Kingston arrivals of one-way U-Haul trucks were up 9 percent while departures were up only 2 percent from the city’s 2017 numbers. Arrivals accounted for 52.8 percent of all one-way U-Haul traffic in Kingston to make it No. 1 for netting do-it-yourself movers.

“Kingston is a healthy and bustling city,” stated Antony Grocott, U-Haul Company of Eastern Ontario president. “It’s in close proximity to Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. People priced out of major cities can still easily commute to their jobs while having a livable and diverse community like Kingston.”

Belleville, Brockville, Hanover and Midland were additional Ontario cities in the top 10 for growth, while Montreal ranked No. 9. Seventeen of the top 25 cities were in Ontario. Victoria paced four British Columbia cities to make the list.

“Victoria’s growth can really be seen in the outskirts,” noted Michelle Benson, U-Haul Company of Vancouver and Vancouver Island president. “All the land you could see from the highways has been developed to satisfy the growing populations.”

Visit myuhaulstory.com to view the top U.S. Growth Cities and Growth States for 2018.

While migration trends do not correlate directly to population or economic growth, U-Haul growth data is an effective gauge of how well cities are attracting and maintaining residents.

U-Haul is the authority on migration trends thanks to its expansive network that blankets all 10 Canadian provinces and 50 states. The geographical coverage from more than 21,000 U-Haul truck and trailer sharing locations provides a comprehensive overview of where people are moving like no one else in the industry.

U-Haul Canadian Growth Cities for 2018

1. KINGSTON

ON

2. VICTORIA

BC

3. TRENTON

ON

4. HALIFAX

NS

5. OTTAWA

ON

6. BELLEVILLE

ON

7. BROCKVILLE

ON

8. HANOVER

ON

9. MONTREAL

QC

10. MIDLAND

ON

11. WASAGA BEACH

ON

12. KELOWNA

BC

13. KAMLOOPS

BC

14. SPRUCE GROVE

AB

15. PETERBOROUGH

ON

16. PERTH

ON

17. NEPEAN

ON

18. LISTOWEL

ON

19. PENTICTON

BC

20. INNISFIL

ON

21. THUNDER BAY

ON

22. ALLISTON

ON

23. HAWKESBURY

ON

24. HUNTSVILLE

ON

25. LEDUC

AB

 

About U-Haul

Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 21,000 locations across all 10 Canadian provinces and 50 states. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 now offers customers access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the self-service options on their internet-connected mobile devices. U-Haul customers’ patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to 161,000 trucks, 118,000 trailers and 42,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 632,000 rooms and 55.2 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry and is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S.

Contact:

Jeff Lockridge

Sebastien Reyes

E-mail: publicrelations@uhaul.com

Phone: 602-263-6981

Website: uhaul.com

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