Ottawa is the No. 5 Canadian Destination City according to the latest U-Haul® migration trends report, sliding one spot from its ranking on last year’s list.
Ottawa saw an impressive 12% year-over-year increase in one-way U-Haul truck arrivals in 2018 to remain one of the top five busiest cities for incoming traffic among do-it-yourself movers.
“Being the Capital of Canada, Ottawa is known as a stable government town,” said Claude Boucher, U-Haul Company of Western Quebec president. “There are jobs in a wide variety of government-run departments that require a wide variety of skills. This has brought many young professionals to Ottawa.”
U-Haul has three Company-owned stores and 18 independent dealers currently operating in the Ottawa city limits. Find U-Haul truck and trailer sharing locations in Ottawa at uhaul.com/locations.
Moving Season in Ottawa
U-Haul is counting down its top 10 Canadian Destination Cities leading up to “Moving Day” on July 1, one of the busiest dates for residential moves in Canada, and specifically Quebec. The No. 1 destination will be announced June 28 on Twitter @uhaul. View Canadian Destination Cities 5-50 below.
“Ottawa gets the benefit of playing host to many of the nation’s art collections, concerts and travelling exhibits,” Boucher added. “There are plenty of museums and attractions in Ottawa. Plus, Ottawa is right across the river from Gatineau, where you can find even more activities.”
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 rankings do.
U-Haul released 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.U
2018 U-Haul Canadian Destination Cities
* Nos. 1-4 TBA June 25-28. Previous year rankings in parentheses.
5. OTTAWA, ON (4)
6. LONDON, ON (5)
7. VANCOUVER, BC (10)
8. KITCHENER, ON (9)
9. HAMILTON, ON (7)
10. VICTORIA, BC (8)
11. MISSISSAUGA, ON (12)
12. BRAMPTON, ON (11)
13. QUEBEC CITY, QC (13)
14. WINDSOR, ON (15)
15. KINGSTON, ON (16)
16. KELOWNA, BC (19)
17. SCARBOROUGH, ON (14)
18. SURREY, BC (20)
19. BARRIE, ON (17)
20. OSHAWA, ON (18)
21. ST. CATHARINES, ON (23)
22. GUELPH, ON (21)
23. DARTMOUTH, NS (32)
24. BURLINGTON, ON (24)
25. WINNIPEG, MB (22)
26. GATINEAU, QC (26)
27. MONCTON, NB (31)
28. SASKATOON, SK (28)
29. PETERBOROUGH, ON (27)
30. KAMLOOPS, BC (39)
31. NANAIMO, BC (35)
32. LETHBRIDGE, AB (34)
33. BRANTFORD, ON (30)
34. ABBOTSFORD, BC (33)
35. CAMBRIDGE, ON (29)
36. ETOBICOKE, ON (25)
37. NIAGARA FALLS, ON (40)
38. SHERBROOKE, QC (37)
39. RED DEER, AB (47)
40. REGINA, SK (38)
41. BELLEVILLE, ON (41)
42. SUDBURY, ON (42)
43. PORT MOODY, BC (NR)
44. NEWMARKET, ON (49)
45. HALIFAX, NS (NR)
46. MILTON, ON (50)
47. GRANDE PRAIRIE, AB (36)
48. FREDERICTON, NB (NR)
49. SARNIA, ON (46)
50. AIRDRIE, AB (NR)
