Orlando is the No. 5 U.S. Destination City according to the latest U-Haul migration trends report, sliding two spots from its ranking on last year’s list.
Orlando saw a 1% year-over-year drop in one-way U-Haul truck arrivals in 2018, but attracted enough customers to remain one of the top five busiest cities for incoming traffic among do-it-yourself movers.
“I’ve noticed a trend of people moving from places with sales taxes and coming to Orlando,” stated Miguel Caminos, U-Haul Company of Orlando president. “The cost of living is fairly low and the city is investing in the future. Orlando is great because it’s summer all year long. Folks can work Monday through Friday, and be at the beach or Disney World all weekend. I have a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old, so living in a family-friendly city is important. The entertainment here is appealing to young families, and it’s only an hour drive to the coast.”
U-Haul has 12 Company-owned stores and 45 independent neighborhood dealers currently operating in the Orlando city limits. Find U-Haul truck and trailer sharing locations in Orlando at uhaul.com/locations.
Moving Season in Orlando
U-Haul is counting down its top 10 U.S. Destination Cities as a prelude to Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of the summer moving season. About 45% of all moves each year occur between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. The No. 1 U.S. Destination City will be announced May 24 on Twitter @uhaul.
View U.S. Destination Cities 5-50 below. Other Florida cities to make the list include Tampa (11), Jacksonville (13) and Miami (21).
“U-Haul has four active projects right now, and we’ve recently added about 1,600 self-storage rooms for customers in Orlando,” Caminos added. “We also have the first indoor load-and-unload bay in Central Florida and will be expanding our repair shop to bring 75 full-time jobs to Orlando. Folks are moving here in droves, so our mechanic staff needs to expand to keep up.”
Rankings are based by the total number of arriving one-way U-Haul trucks into a city in the past calendar year. Destination Cities reflect the volume and regularity of do-it-yourself movers coming into a city, but do not account for departing one-way U-Haul trucks, and thus do not necessarily reflect growth like U-Haul Growth Cities and Growth States rankings do.
U-Haul released its complete Growth States rankings; its top 25 U.S. Growth Cities; and its top 25 Canadian Growth Cities for 2018 in January.
U-Haul is the authority on migration trends thanks to its expansive network that blankets all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. The geographical coverage from more than 21,000 U-Haul locations provides a comprehensive overview of where people are moving like no one else in the industry. Migration trends data is compiled from more than 2 million one-way U-Haul truck rental transactions that occur annually.
2018 U-Haul Destination Cities
* Nos. 1-4 TBA May 21-24. Previous year rankings in parentheses.
5. ORLANDO, Fla. (3)
11. TAMPA, Fla. (11)
12. COLUMBUS, Ohio (10)
13. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (14)
14. SAN DIEGO, Calif. (12)
15. LOS ANGELES, Calif. (18)
16. DALLAS, Texas (16)
17. INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (17)
18. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (15)
19. TUCSON, Ariz. (19)
20. ATLANTA, Ga. (20)
21. MIAMI, Fla. (21)
22. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (27)
23. BRONX, N.Y. (23)
24. SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (22)
25. FORT WORTH, Texas (25)
26. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (28)
27. RICHMOND, Va. (41)
28. ST. LOUIS, Mo. (NR)
29. PORTLAND, Ore. (26)
30. WASHINGTON, D.C. (24)
31. RALEIGH, N.C. (32)
32. DENVER, Colo. (33)
33. CINCINNATI, Ohio (29)
34. PLANO, Texas (31)
35. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (NR)
36. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (34)
37. OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (NR)
38. OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (36)
39. PITTSBURGH, Pa. (37)
40. COLUMBIA, S.C. (35)
41. BALTIMORE, Md. (30)
42. SAN JOSE, Calif. (42)
43. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (38)
44. FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (NR)
45. TULSA, Okla. (50)
46. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (43)
47. RENO, Nev. (39)
48. SEATTLE, Wash. (40)
49. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (49)
50. FRESNO, Calif. (48)
