BARRIE, ONT. -- As more people shift to working from home during the pandemic, parts of Simcoe County have become popular places to live.

Statistics released by UHaul International show the Barrie and Orillia corridor ranked in the top five most moved to cities in 2020 in Canada.

Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman said the population had grown rapidly in the past few years.

"I think that number of 1,000 to 2,000 people a year - which is where we are right now - is manageable and well planned. Hopefully, this just means continued good things and more customers for Barrie businesses and those sorts of things."

North Vancouver, Kingston and Belleville make up the remaining top five in UHaul's migration trends, calculated by the net gain of one-way UHaul trucks arriving in a city versus the number leaving.

There was a 22 per cent increase in Barrie and Orillia.

According to the Phoenix-based company, its migration trends do not directly correlate with the population or economic growth.

Orillia Mayor Steve Clarke said he's not surprised by the numbers but noted the demographics are changing.

"There [is] data out there now that shows millennials are making a decision on where to live now based on the quality of life than the actual job. It's still important, but it's not the number one criteria they use," Clarke added.

The City of Barrie saw explosive growth last year as more people chose to flee the GTA.

"Central Ontario has always been a safe and desirable place to live," Lehman said.

The number one city on UHaul's migrations trends for 2020 was North Bay, up from the fifth place the year prior.

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