5 Ontario Cities Named In Top 10 Popular Places To Move In Canada & They Aren't Toronto

If you're looking for a change of scenery and want to move soon, a new report of Canada's most sought-out moving destinations might inspire you to move to a city in Ontario.

U-Haul named the 25 most popular cities in Canada that Canadians opted to move to last year, and Ontario pretty much dominated the list. While half of the list is filled with places all over the province of Ontario, Toronto, notably, did not make the cut.

North Bay was named the number one moving destination for Canadians for the second year in the row. Belleville and Greater Sudbury took the silver and bronze medals for the most popular spots to move to in the country.

“At the start of the pandemic we saw a mass exodus from Ontario to other provinces, particularly the Maritimes,” U-Haul Area District VP of Eastern Canada, Jake Spelic, said in the January 5 report.

“People were in search of cheaper housing as they worked from home. As time has passed and things are shifting closer to normal, we are starting to see that trend reverse. Ontario is still the economic center of Canada and offers a high quality of living, thousands of job opportunities and attractive salaries.”

Kingston and Owen Sound-Port Elgin rounded out the top ten list, with Sault Ste. Marie, Chatham, and St. Thomas cracking the 15 uppermost cities to move to.

Here are Canada's top 25 most popular cities to move to last year:

1. North Bay, ON
2. Belleville, ON
3. Greater Sudbury, ON
4. Quebec City, QC
5. Calgary, AB
6. Kelowna-West Kelowna, BC
7. Kingston, ON
8. Red Deer-Lacombe, AB
9. Owen Sound-Port Elgin, ON
10. North Vancouver, BC
11. Kamloops, BC
12. Sault Ste. Marie, ON
13. Chatham, ON
14. St. Thomas, ON
15. Medicine Hat-Redcliff, AB
16. Sarnia, ON
17. Brantford, ON
18. Orillia, ON
19. Peterborough, ON
20. Cornwall, ON
21. Penticton, BC
22. Abbotsford, BC
23. Vancouver, BC
24. Airdrie, AB
25. St. Catharines, ON