Campbell River is the 8th fastest growing city in Canada, according to U-Haul.
U-Haul analyzed one-way customer moves over the past year, and found that people arriving in Campbell River rose 5 per cent over 2022, and people leaving dropped 16 per cent.
Movers arriving in Campbell River accounted for over half (56.1 per cent) of all one-way U-Haul traffic in and out of the area. This put it in the top ten destination cities for the year.
“People come from all over the world to enjoy Campbell River,” said Michelle Benson, U-Haul Company of Vancouver and Vancouver Island president. “The city offers access to amazing fresh-water and saltwater fishing. It’s one of the most affordable coastal cities in western Canada. I’m not surprised people are packing up their U-Haul trucks and setting their sights on Campbell River.”
U-Haul calculates growth cities by each city’s net gain (or loss) of one-way equipment from customer transactions in a calendar year. The U-Haul Growth Index is compiled from well over 2.5 million one-way U-Haul truck, trailer and U-Box moving container transactions that occur annually across Canada and the U.S.
Calgary is the No. 1 growth city. Sherbrooke, Edmonton, Kelowna and Courtenay round out the top five.
Campbell River is one of seven British Columbia markets among the top 25 growth cities. Ontario has nine markets that are top 25 growth cities – the most of any province. Alberta is the leading U-Haul growth province of 2023, followed by B.C. and New Brunswick. Ontario ranks last with the largest net loss of one-way U-Haul equipment.
Nanaimo was 17th on the list, and Victoria ranked 18th.
While U-Haul migration trends do not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the U-Haul Growth Index is an effective gauge of how well provinces and cities are attracting and maintaining residents, a report from U-Haul says.
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