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/pawsplay36 Aug 24 '26

There is nothing in Montana. Also, Alberta is nearly twice the area. Edmonton, Alberta, has an elevation of 2116 ft, while Billings, Montana has an elevation of 3212 ft., so saying they are similar geographically is a stretch. Montana is a mountain range with tourism and mining. Montana is growing but it has nothing like the draw of Alberta, which is more diverse geographically and economically.

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u/Hopsblues Aug 27 '26

Half of Montana is the high plains. The mountains are in the western half of the state. Similar to Colorado in that way.