PHOENIX, March 31, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- U-Haul International, Inc., America's number one choice for do-it-yourself movers, today released the results of the annual 2008 U-Haul National Migration Trend Report, titled "The 2008 Top 50 U.S. Destination Cities." According to moving data reflective of nationwide statistics for calendar year 2008, Atlanta takes the No. 1 spot for the second year in a row, while Houston takes second place, moving up from the No. 8 rank last year. Los Angeles climbed to No. 3 from No. 13 last year, while Las Vegas maintained at No. 4 for the second year in a row, and Denver, Colo. moved up to fifth place from the No. 9 rank last year. Portland, Ore.; Chicago, San Antonio, Austin, Texas and Orlando, Fla. rounded out the top 10.
"Since 1945, U-Haul has built a long and proud history of relocating Americans," said U-Haul President of Phoenix Operations John "J.T." Taylor. "Our consumers rely on us to provide affordable services at convenient locations, which makes for a shorter distance to travel when moving. This not only makes their move easier but also has the positive effect of reducing the amount of carbon emissions released into the atmosphere."
The ranking reflects destinations for movers traveling more than 50 miles, and considers every city in the country, regardless of size. However, the data is not stated as a percentage of population and is not reflective of overall growth.
The 2008 Top 50 U.S. Destination Cities Report was compiled from more than 1 million U-Haul truck transactions occurring between Jan.1 and Dec. 31, 2008.
Since 1945, U-Haul has been the undisputed choice for the "do-it-yourself" mover, with a network of more than 15,650 locations in all 50 United States and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul customers' patronage has enabled the Company to maintain a fleet size of 96,000 trucks, 75,000 trailers and 35,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers more than 395,000 rooms and more than 34 million square feet of storage space at more than 1,075 owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the consumer's number one choice as the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry. U-Haul supplies alternative-fuel for vehicles and backyard barbecues as one of the nation's largest retailers of propane.
The U-Haul International, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=5134
Note to editors: The annual mileage of North American U-Haul trucks, trailers and tow dollies would move a family to the moon and back more than 20.5 times per day, every day of the year. The annual mileage of North American U-Haul trucks, trailers and tow dollies would travel around the Earth 194 times per day, every day of the year.
U-Haul Top 50 U.S. Destination Cities*
January - December 2008
1. ATLANTA, Ga. 26. PITTSBURGH, Pa.
2. HOUSTON, Texas 27. PHOENIX, Ariz.
3. LOS ANGELES, Calif. 28. NEW YORK CITY, N.Y.
4. LAS VEGAS, Nev. 29. INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.
5. DENVER, Colo. 30. FULLERTON, Calif.
6. PORTLAND, Ore. 31. COSTA MESA, Calif.
7. CHICAGO, Ill. 32. CHARLOTTE, N.C.
8. SAN ANTONIO, Texas 33. SAN JOSE, Calif.
9. AUSTIN, Texas 34. MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.
10. ORLANDO, Fla. 35. ST. LOUIS, Mo.
11. SAN DIEGO, Calif. 36. QUEENS, N.Y.
12. KANSAS CITY, Mo. 37. WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.
13. PHILADELPHIA, Pa. 38. OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.
14. MIAMI, Fla. 39. TUCSON, Ariz.
15. SACRAMENTO, Calif. 40. TULSA, Okla.
16. BROOKLYN, N.Y. 41. SALT LAKE CITY, Utah
17. DALLAS, Texas 42. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.
18. SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. 43. SPOKANE, Wash.
19. WASHINGTON, D.C. 44. BRONX, N.Y.
20. TAMPA, Fla. 45. LONG BEACH, Calif.
21. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. 46. FRESNO, Calif.
22. VAN NUYS, Calif. 47. BIRMINGHAM, Ala.
23. FORT WORTH, Texas 48. BALTIMORE, Md.
24. COLUMBUS, Ohio 49. SEATTLE, Wash.
25. CHRISMAN, Ill. 50. SANTA MONICA, Calif.
*Data compiled from more than 1 million U-Haul one-way truck transactions from January - December 2008.