U-Haul 2016 Growth State No. 7: IDAHO
PHOENIX and BOISE, Idaho, Jan. 26, 2017 -- Idaho is the No. 7 U.S. Growth State for 2016, according to the latest U-Haul migration trends report.
Idaho, a growth state by a fairly narrow margin in 2015 when it was No. 21 on this list, picked up 14 spots. Its year-over-year arrivals of one-way U-Haul truck rentals soared 8 percent last year, and departures went up 6 percent as overall U-Haul traffic increased across the state.
Arrivals accounted for 51 percent of U-Haul traffic in Idaho in 2016 thanks to locations such as Boise, Coeur D'Alene and Nampa, the cities to pace the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks.
Boise, where arrivals rose 21 percent year-over-year, ranks third among U-Haul U.S. Growth Cities for locations with a population more than 50,000.
Follow the Top 10 Growth States daily countdown through Feb. 3 on Twitter @uhaul and view other migration trends reports, including the U.S. Growth Cities release, at myuhaulstory.com.
Growth States are calculated by the net gain of one-way U-Haul truck rentals entering a state versus leaving a state during a calendar year. Migration trends data is compiled from more than 1.7 million one-way U-Haul truck rental transactions that occur annually.
While migration trends do not correlate directly to population or economic growth, U-Haul growth data is an effective gauge of how well cities are attracting and maintaining residents.
"What I see is a lot of people retiring to Boise for its lower cost of living," said Casey Jones, U-Haul Company of Idaho president. "They're selling their one-bedroom home in California for $500,000 and coming here to buy a 2,500-square-foot house for $300,000.
"If you're tired of the rat race, Idaho might be a good escape. If you live in Boise, where most of our migration is, you can go 30 minutes outside the city and be in the middle of nowhere, which is nice. But you still get a city that has a big-enough feel. You get all four seasons in Idaho, and the outdoor living is great. There is certainly more people coming into the state than leaving right now. Meridian, a suburb of Boise, is just blowing up. It wouldn't surprise me to see them grow at least 10 percent this year."
U-Haul has close to 140 neighborhood dealers serving customers in Idaho as well as eight stores across seven cities. Find U-Haul rental facilities in Idaho at uhaul.com/locations.
"Inclusion on the 2016 U-Haul top migration list is exciting news and validation for so many of the great things happening in the state of Idaho," said Megan Ronk, director of the Idaho Department of Commerce. "This list means more and more people across the country are recognizing the high quality of life, diverse and breathtaking outdoor recreation possibilities and, most importantly, the tremendous job opportunities across the state."
U-Haul is the authority on migration trends thanks to its expansive network that blankets all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. The geographical coverage from more than 21,000 U-Haul locations, including neighborhood dealers and Company-owned and -operated stores, provides a comprehensive overview of where people are moving like no one else in the industry.
About U-Haul
Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 21,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to more than 139,000 trucks, 108,000 trailers and 38,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers more than 536,000 rooms and more than 50 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry and is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S. uhaul.com
Contact
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E-mail: publicrelations@uhaul.com
Phone: 602-760-4941
Website: uhaul.com
SOURCE U-Haul
