Kelowna leads U-Haul's list of growing cities for B.C., 6 others crack top 25

Photo: U-Haul

More evidence that Kelowna continues to grow and attract new people.

According to U-Haul, Kelowna is the No. 4 Canadian growth city in 2023, up one spot from last year.

U-Haul analyzes one-way customer moves to come up with a national picture of who is using their services and equipment and calculates each each city’s net gain or loss. This year's data indicates that one-way U-Haul customers arriving in Kelowna fell 15% from 2022, but departures fell 16% as overall moving traffic slowed.

“I think DIY movers are coming to Kelowna for the mild weather and proximity to the water. The lakeside location is attractive to people from all walks of life. As the Okanagan region continues to gain residents, it becomes more of a technology hub. New startups and software companies are popping up at every turn,” says Mason Kolahdouzan, U-Haul's B.C. president.

Kelowna is one of seven British Columbia markets to crack the U-Haul top 25 growth cities followed by Courtenay at five, Penticton at six and Campbell River at seven. Nanaimo at 17, Victoria at 18 and Chilliwack at 23 round out the top 25.

Calgary is the No. 1 growth city. Sherbrooke, Edmonton and Courtenay round out the top five.

Ontario leads the way with nine markets in the top 25 and Alberta has the leading U-Haul growth of all the provinces in 2023, followed by B.C. and New Brunswick. Ontario also ranks last with the largest net loss of one-way U-Haul equipment.

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.

"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," Kolahdouzan says.