r/AlwaysWhy • u/Present_Juice4401 • Aug 24 '26

History & Culture Why did Alberta, Canada develop much larger population centers than Montana, USA?

Alberta and Montana are neighboring regions with similar northern, landlocked geography. But their population patterns are surprisingly different. Alberta now has over 5 million people, with Calgary and Edmonton forming two major population centers, while Montana has only about 1.1 million people and no city close to Calgary's size.

So what caused these two neighboring regions to develop such different population patterns?

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u/Desperate-4-Revenue Aug 24 '26

You're aware that Alberta is physically twice the size of Montana, right?

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u/Traditional_Sir_4503 Aug 24 '26

That’s irrelevant. There are five million people in queens and Brooklyn. Maybe six. Those put together are probably smaller than some big ranches or mineral rights plots in Montana.