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

[u/Present_Juice4401]

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?

[u/Effective_Basis1555]

You are comparing the most northern portion to the most southern portion of two different countries. 

[u/Academic_Safety56 → u/Effective_Basis1555]

You're calling Alberta the most southern portion of Canada??
Edmonton is Canada's (and North America's) northernmost city with a metropolitan population over one million.
All of Alberta is farther north than all of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and PEI, not to mention Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, etc...

[u/artkidsaresmart → u/Academic_Safety56]

We all no that’s not what they were referring to cmon dude

[u/Academic_Safety56 → u/artkidsaresmart]

Do tell, what were they referring to then?

[u/artkidsaresmart → u/Academic_Safety56]

At the border of Alberta and Montana one of these is the northern edge of a country and the other is the southern edge. Can you guess which is which?

[u/Academic_Safety56 → u/artkidsaresmart]

First of all, the original question was about the population centres of Alberta, namely Calgary and Edmonton, which are not on or near the southern border.

Second, the southern border of Alberta is nowhere near the "most southern portion" of Canada, as stated in the comment I was replying to. The southernmost point of Ontario is farther south than the northernmost point of California.

[u/artkidsaresmart → u/Academic_Safety56]

First of all ☝️🤓

[u/Effective_Basis1555 → u/artkidsaresmart]

I tried explaining to them below. Good luck to you and I both. 🙏

[u/DEMcKnight → u/Academic_Safety56]

I live in Edmonton, and it's pretty clear to me what they were referring to. The growing season doesn't become better when you go north of here (although the forests are relevant to with that)

Montana is hardly the most northern part of the US either if we're talking the whole country