May 29, 2015
Philadelphia has received much fanfare for its growing population.
U-Haul added some more on Thursday.
The truck rental company ranked Philadelphia eighth on its annual Top 10 U.S. Destination Cities list, which examines the top destinations of one-way U-Haul trucks in the last year.
Philadelphia cracked the Top 10 for the third consecutive year. Each time, it has ranked eighth.
.@Michael_Nutter be proud of @PhiladelphiaGov-it's no. 8 on our migration trends! http://t.co/hSGkLL3lNY #uhaultrends pic.twitter.com/HuQ1KM0duc
— U-Haul Company (@uhaul) May 28, 2015
The city's population grew for the eighth consecutive year in 2014, according to research by the Pew Charitable Trusts. It added 8,800 jobs, the highest increase since 1999.
In a press release announcing Philadelphia's inclusion, U-Haul noted migration trends do not correlate directly to population or economic growth but claimed they can be used as a gauge.
"I grew up in the city," said Dominic Catalano, marketing president for U-Haul Co. of South Philadelphia. "West Philly, South Philly ... at one time the schools were terrible and the thing to do was move out. Now everyone is trying to get back in.
"... The city has turned areas that were bad into areas with shops and restaurants. Everyone is moving from the suburbs into the city, and a lot of kids my age are staying in the city instead of leaving. They're turning a bunch of piers into festivals, putting up new parks and they just opened up a giant River Walk."
U-Haul is unveiling a new city from its Top 10 list each day on Twitter. Sacramento, California, and Kansas City, Missouri, preceded Philadelphia.
