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

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.

Migration Trends in Ontario

“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