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Barrie ranks 30th on list of 'Millennial Hot Spots' according to study

Survey looked at 85 Canadian cities
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File photo Sue Sgambati/BarrieToday

Barrie ranks number 30 when it comes to popularity with young people, according to a new study. 

Point2 Homes News, a Saskatoon-based website which covers real estate market trends and news has released its Top Millennial Hot Spots in 2018 report.

Barrie came in just a few rankings behind Toronto and London, which were tied for 24th spot.

On the bright side, Barrie has the 8th highest life satisfaction index in the country. 

‘Millennials,' also known as Generation Y, are often described by some researchers as people born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s. 

The Point2 Homes study examined 85 Canadian cities to determine how attractive or unattractive those cities are in terms of young adults wanting to buy a home and live, work and play in those cities, based on quality employment, affordable housing and a variety of other factors.

Millennnals make up 20.56 % of Barrie's 141,434 population and yearly income for young people is pegged at $81,240 with average house prices $481,987. 

None of Canada’s largest cities -  Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa or Calgary -  made the top three. Kawartha Lakes came in last.

Seven of the top 10 best cities for millennials have a population of under 500,000.

The five 'Least Tempting Millennial Cities' list are Langley (Township), BC, Kawartha Lakes and Brantford in Ontario, and Chilliwack, BC, for high crime rates and/or low rates of people with post secondary education. 

The top five most attractive cities, according to the Point2 Homes study, are Quebec City, Victoria, Guelph, Halifax and Ottawa, for reasons including affordable housing, low unemployment rates, high education rates, cultural heritage, pleasant climate and fresh, locally grown food.  

The Point2 Homes website states its studies draw on “internal data, public records, governmental sources, online research and other reliable third-party agencies."


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Sue Sgambati

About the Author: Sue Sgambati

Sue has had a 30-year career in journalism working for print, radio and TV. She is a proud member of the Barrie community.
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