Chatham has been ranked 10th on U-Haul's list of the Top 25 Canadian Growth Cities.
U-Haul analyzed moving trends in 2019 and listed Chatham at number 10 based on one-way U-Haul trucks entering the city versus leaving it during the past calendar year, an increase from 11th in 2017 and 13th in 2016, according to Victoria Bodnar, coordinator, resident attraction and retention for the Municipality of Chatham-Kent. U-Haul said Chatham was not ranked in the top 25 in 2018.
Mayor Darrin Canniff said he is proud and delighted that Chatham-Kent continues to attract and welcome new residents.
"As more people choose Chatham-Kent as a place to visit, live and invest, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent and community partners are working hard to help secure Chatham-Kent's future for upcoming generations,” Canniff said.
U-Haul officials said migration trends do not correlate directly to population or economic growth, but the company's growth data is "an effective gauge of how well cities and states are attracting and maintaining residents." They added migration trends data is compiled from more than two million one-way U-Haul truck sharing transactions that occur annually in the U.S. and Canada.
Figures from BMA Management Consulting Inc. support U-Haul's conclusion about Chatham. Its 2018 municipal study for Chatham-Kent showed that Chatham-Kent’s population increased by about 4.5 per cent in 2018 compared to 2016.
North Vancouver topped the list.
Ontario had 19 markets on the list with Trenton, Saint Thomas, Brockville and North Bay rounding out the top five Canadian growth cities for 2019.
U-Haul has more than 22,000 truck and trailer sharing locations across North America.
