These Simcoe Muskoka cities and towns were named as top growth cities by U-Haul

U-Haul moving truck parked in Barrie, Ont. (File Image/CTV News)

This past week, U-Haul published their annual report on their website of what they consider to be their top Canadian provinces and cities for growth, which had four Simcoe County cites and towns in their top 25.

The major moving and storage resource company ranked Collingwood 8th, Innisfil 11th, Barrie 13th and Orillia 24th in their 2024 top Canadian cities for growth list.

Parry Sound was ranked 9th, Lindsay was ranked 15th, Owen Sound-Meaford was ranked 17th, and Peterborough was ranked 18th.

U-Haul states that they calculate growth in cities and provinces by net gain or loss of one-way equipment (trucks, trailers, etc.) from customer transactions in a calendar year.

Despite Ontario ranking last among provinces with an outgoing U-Haul traffic rate of 50.7 per cent, Ontario had 16 of the company’s top 25 Canadian growth cities.

“Ontario will always be the economic heart of Canada and has so much to offer its residents,” explained Jake Spelic, U-Haul area district vice president, in the published report. “What is interesting on our growth cities list is that all the top destinations in Ontario are smaller cities, and most are considered four-season recreational areas. The trend seems to be people are looking for more affordable housing in popular recreational areas with less hustle and bustle than the larger cities.”

The report listed Alberta as the top growth province for the second straight year, with 51.2 per cent of U-Haul traffic incoming and 48.8 per cent outgoing in 2024. Calgary and Edmonton were respectively ranked as the number one and number two growth cities.

Collingwood jumped up three spots after ranking 11th in 2023, while Orillia dropped 12 spots after ranking 12th in 2023.

Barrie and Innisfil did not appear in the company’s top 25 list for 2023.