Family-Friendly Destination Attracts Many Do-It-Yourself Movers
Blending the convenience and business opportunities of the Bay Area with the escape of the California countryside and residential life, Concord enjoys advantages that many people shop for in a hometown.
U-Haul truck sharing customers seem to agree. They generated a steady stream of arrivals last year in Contra Costa County’s largest city, making Concord No. 1 on the U-Haul Top 10 U.S. Growth Cities for 2015.
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Growth rankings are determined by the net gain of incoming one-way U-Haul truck rentals versus outgoing rentals for the past calendar year. The annual migration trends report was compiled from more than 1.7 million one-way U-Haul truck transactions that occurred in 2015. All cities were considered, regardless of size.
$100 does not go as far in Concord as it does for the national average. (source: taxfoundation.org)
“The City of Concord is honored that U-Haul is recognizing us as the top growth city in the U.S. because it confirms what our residents already know: with a high quality of life, job opportunities and a varied housing stock, Concord is a diverse, family-friendly city with activities and attractions that appeal to young and old alike,” said Marilyn Fowler, president and CEO of the Concord Chamber of Commerce.
U-Haul locations here saw 57.2 percent of truck rental customers coming into the city as opposed to leaving. It welcomed 7 percent more U-Haul arrivals year-over-year, while its departures dropped 5 percent over the same span.
While U-Haul migration trends don’t correlate directly to population or economic growth, the growth cities data is a strong gauge of how well cities are attracting and keeping residents.
Located just 30 miles northeast of San Francisco, 16 miles southeast of Vallejo and 14 miles west of Antioch, Concord offers an attractive and picturesque option to Bay Area and Silicon Valley commuters thanks to its access to Interstate 680 and State Route 4.
“In conjunction with a great location, Concord remains one of the few affordable cities in the Bay Area and is surrounded by cities that offer sustained job growth,” said James Bostwick, U-Haul Company of East Bay president. “With a centrally located BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station, residents can easily travel throughout the Bay Area without dealing with vehicle traffic.
“It has everything a resident could want or ask for and continues to improve upon what it has to offer.”
This is the third California location to make the U-Haul U.S. Growth Cities list. The rest of the Top 10 includes: 10. Missoula; 9. Manteca; 8. Manhattan; 7. Henderson; 6. College Station; 5. Chicago; 4. Madison; 3. Austin; and 2. Roseville-Sacramento.
More on Concord
- Concord has a thriving, historic downtown scene featuring shopping, dining and nightlife. The Sunvalley Shopping Center draws crowds for its diverse mix of established retailers and
small businesses with local flavor. It is home to Waterworld California, a popular summertime spot for families and teenagers. - Nestled between beautiful Mount Diablo and Suisun Bay, Concord has been recognized as the best place in California to raise a family and has been designated a Tree City USA honoree for 33 consecutive years, according to the city’s website. It encompasses 31.1 square miles and is home to nearly 130,000 residents.
- U-Haul meets the moving needs of residents primarily through its one store, located at 2291 Monument Blvd.
Quotable
- “There is a healthy mix of ethnic cuisine, farmers’ markets and concerts in the historic Todos Santos Plaza downtown, as well as the nationally recognized 12,500-seat Concord Pavilion venue that draws premier international touring acts. Concord is served by noted healthcare facility John Muir Medical Center and boasts more than a thousand acres of open space, a nearby airport and a growing tech and advanced manufacturing industry. For beer enthusiasts, Concord is home to an emerging craft beer scene, and the upcoming $6 billion Concord Community Reuse Project will accommodate about 28,000 new residents and 26,000 new jobs.” — Marilyn Fowler, president and CEO of the Concord Chamber of Commerce
View the full infographic here!
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