Top Canadian Destinations for Movers: Toronto Still Tops List, U-Haul Data Shows

Destination Cities are ranked by the number of arriving one-way U-Haul trucks in the past calendar year

PHOENIX and TORONTO, June 29, 2018 /CNW/ -- Toronto is the No. 1 Canadian Destination City according to the latest U-Haul migration trends report, maintaining its spot atop last year's rankings.

Toronto saw a 1.8 percent year-over-year decrease in one-way U-Haul truck arrivals in 2017, but still remained the busiest city for incoming traffic among do-it-yourself movers by a significant margin.

U-Haul International, headquartered in Arizona, just completed its countdown of the 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.

Calgary maintained its status as the country's No. 2 destination, followed by Edmonton, Ottawa, London, Montreal, Hamilton, Victoria, Kitchener and Vancouver. Of that group, Edmonton (15 percent) and London (10 percent) witnessed the largest increases in year-over-year arrivals of one-way U-Haul moving trucks, while Vancouver and Montreal saw the largest decreases in incoming traffic.

Find the top 50 rankings below, and go to myuhaulstory.com to view migration trends releases on all of the top 10 cities, as well as reports for past years.

Consistently Busy
"Toronto has consistently been one of the busiest Canadian cities for incoming U-Haul trucks," noted Antony Grocott, U-Haul Company of Eastern Ontario president. "We see our equipment on the road every day and are always looking to add U-Haul facilities to accommodate the large population of do-it-yourself movers."

Rankings are based on 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 DIY movers coming into a community. They do not account for departing one-way U-Haul trucks, and thus do not necessarily signify growth like U-Haul Growth Cities rankings.

U-Haul released its top 25 Canadian Growth Cities for 2017 in January.

U-Haul customers made Toronto the leading Canadian destination from 2002-11 and in 2013. Toronto slid to fourth in 2014, and was second for arrivals in 2015 when Calgary was atop the list. Toronto reclaimed the No. 1 spot based on one-way moves in 2016.

Something for Everyone
"Toronto has something for everyone, and the job market is booming," Grocott said. "It's a great place to live and work. Being the capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada, Toronto is diverse and offers more than 140 unique neighborhoods. Companies are continuing to invest in Toronto, and corporate growth can be seen at all levels. Toronto is the manufacturing, technological and financial hub of Canada."

U-Haul has three Company-owned stores and 33 independent neighborhood dealers currently operating in the Toronto city limits. Find U-Haul truck and trailer sharing locations in Toronto at uhaul.com/locations.

U-Haul is the authority on migration trends thanks to its expansive network that blankets all 10 Canadian provinces and 50 states in the U.S. 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 1.7 million one-way U-Haul truck rental transactions that occur annually.

Top 50 U-Haul Canadian Destination Cities
1. TORONTO, ON 
2. CALGARY, AB 
3. EDMONTON, AB 
4. OTTAWA, ON 
5. LONDON, ON 
6. MONTREAL, QC 
7. HAMILTON, ON 
8. VICTORIA, BC 
9. KITCHENER, ON 
10. VANCOUVER, BC 
11. BRAMPTON, ON
12. MISSISSAUGA, ON
13. QUEBEC CITY, QC
14. SCARBOROUGH, ON
15. WINDSOR, ON
16. KINGSTON, ON
17. BARRIE, ON
18. OSHAWA, ON
19. KELOWNA, BC
20. SURREY, BC
21. GUELPH, ON
22. WINNIPEG, MB
23. ST. CATHARINES, ON
24. BURLINGTON, ON
25. ETOBICOKE, ON
26. GATINEAU, QC
27. PETERBOROUGH, ON
28. SASKATOON, SK
29. CAMBRIDGE, ON
30. BRANTFORD, ON
31. MONCTON, NB
32. DARTMOUTH, NS
33. ABBOTSFORD, BC
34. LETHBRIDGE, AB
35. NANAIMO, BC
36. GRANDE PRAIRIE, AB
37. SHERBROOKE, QC
38. REGINA, SK
39. KAMLOOPS, BC
40. NIAGARA FALLS, ON
41. BELLEVILLE, ON
42. SUDBURY, ON
43. NORTH VANCOUVER, BC
44. WATERLOO, ON
45. LANGLEY, BC
46. SARNIA, ON
47. RED DEER, AB
48. NORTH BAY, ON
49. NEWMARKET, ON
50. MILTON, ON

The arrival of U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 is revolutionizing the moving industry through its more convenient, more secure way to pick up and return a truck. U-Haul live verification technology allows transactions to be carried out entirely on a smartphone at any hour – day or night. There are no membership fees. Download the U-Haul app or go to uhaul.com to create an account.

For self-movers who aim to keep their costs low but need extra hands to help with their move, MovingHelp.com has been successfully pairing customers with reliable Moving Help® Service Providers for more than a decade. The online marketplace lets customers shop and compare local moving companies that provide labor services including: loading and unloading, packing and unpacking, cleaning, and U-Box pick up/delivery. Unedited customer reviews, transparent pricing and payment release subject to customer approval have led to 93 percent of Moving Help users rating their experience four stars or higher.

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 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. 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 more than 150,000 trucks, 112,000 trailers and 40,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers more than 581,000 rooms and more than 51 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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SOURCE U-Haul