It's definitely an interesting time to be a Canadian millennial -- especially after spending over a year mostly indoors amid the pandemic.
The pandemic has not only changed the way millennials live, but it's also changed where they want to call home and what they expect to come with it. Case in point, access to more living and green space as they work from home now represents more of a need than a want.
So, where exactly are young people looking to live these days? It turns out, Québec City is the most popular spot in 2021, according to a new report which ranks the best and worst cities in Canada for millennials from real estate portal Point2 Homes.
The report, which looks at Canada's 85 largest municipalities, considers all of the factors that millennials care about when deciding where to live. While affordable housing, reliable income, and good healthcare are mainstays, factors such as life satisfaction and climate are also important for those looking for the ideal place to call home.
To that end, Canada's up-and-coming Millennial hot spots in 2021 offer the best when it comes to housing and employment opportunities. Still, they also boast a high level of life satisfaction and great climate -- more or less.
For the ranking, Point2 Homes considered nine factors that included: income, housing, unemployment rate, life satisfaction, crime rate, healthcare, climate, level of education (the percentage of the population with a bachelor’s degree or higher), and the percentage of millennials in the total population.
According to the report, the most desirable places for young professionals represent the perfect mix between affordable housing, lifestyle options that promote excellent life satisfaction, low crime rates, and — last but not least — great weather and like-minded people.
And while the top 10 cities offer the perfect balance between these factors, certain cities perform better than the most attractive hubs in particular categories.
Based on the data, Québec City comes out on top as the most attractive city for millennials, followed by Ottawa, Kingston, Halifax, St. John's, New Westminister, Levis, Victoria, Waterloo, and Trois-Rivières rounding out the top ten.
On the other hand, the less desirable cities for millennials tend to have fewer affordable housing options or job opportunities than the cities that are higher on the list. However, while these are the main factors people consider when deciding where to move, colder climates, higher crime rates, and even lower overall life satisfaction might influence young people's final decision.
According to the data, Langley, BC is the least attractive city for millennials, followed by Maple Ridge, Chilliwack, Brantford, Sarnia, Chatham-Kent, Cape Breton, Vaughan, Caledon, and Cambridge.
While you might think millennial hot spots such as Vancouver or Toronto took the rest of the competition down, surprisingly, that’s not the case. Toronto ranked 12th overall, followed by Vancouver (13th), Calgary (20th), and Montreal (34th).
You can read the full report and see how every city is ranked here.
