Why So Few Americans Live In This HUGE Area In The Northern Part Of The Country

[@francikoen]

Interesting note: The US Southwest only grew AFTER air conditioning was introduced. Hot & sunny regions are great IF you have AC!

[@mithos789]

absolutely. people cant even handle nyc heat.

[@mournblade1066]

@@mithos789 Yeah, the think about NYC heat (and heat in the northeast in general--I'm in Pennsylvania myself) is that the humidity can get obnoxious. Nothing worse than 90+ degrees Fahrenheit with 90%+ humidity. The absolute worst I ever experienced in Pennsylvania was back in July, 1995 when the temperature hit 106 or 107 degrees, and humidity was 99%. Going outdoors that day was literally like stepping into a sauna.

[@razor3106]

Yes, summers are absolutely miserable out here, especially because of the humidity. I've known a few Vietnam veterans who claim that summers in Vietnam were more bearable than here in the deep south.

[@francikoen]

@@razor3106 Interesting!

[@Samsung-1.9Cu.Ft.Microwave]

Sunny and hot regions, for some reason, tend to host the worst people and tend to have more crime than colder areas

[@anonymouslyanonymous5987]

I live in Northwest Montana, and I don’t think I would ever leave Montana for any reasons. The isolation is what makes me love Montana so much.

[@roadwarrior1589]

I don't think of NW Montana being that rural. It is pretty developed between Missoula and Whitefish.

[@roberthall7419]

I live in NW Minnesota because no one else does 😂 it's not isolated or undeveloped just nobody lives here infrastructure is A+ tho.

[@user-kh1zo4sc9l]

Peace and quiet and all you hear is the wind and the coyotes. I hate living in town. Too many Karen's getting in your business trying to dictate your life for you.

[@tuckerbugeater]

@@user-kh1zo4sc9l I can't wait for the invasion to happen.

[@user-kh1zo4sc9l]

@@tuckerbugeater I just bought 40 acres in Los Animas County out in the middle of Comanche National Grasslands and the Pinyon Canyon Manuever Site. About a million acres of great big empty with La hunta or Trinidad both 45-50 miles away on either end.

[@markw999]

Arizona didn't develop until air conditioning became common. Air conditioning actually changed a lot of settlement patterns in the South as well.

[@henryknox4511]

It was the water boom given by hoover dam dude.

[@robertgronewold3326]

@@henryknox4511 No, actually it was air conditioning. They had water in Arizona before that. Most of the cities there are built on rivers. People just could not handle the desert heat.

[@henryknox4511]

@@robertgronewold3326 Air conditioning wasn't common in houses until after the 50's dude. Cool story though. No water= no population growth. If you reference population charts from 1900-2022 Az, Nv, and Ca all 3 started a continuous increase in population starting after 1931 when the dam was built.

[@henryknox4511]

@@robertgronewold3326 And there's still plenty of old ass homes in east las vegas that don't have AC, I'm sure that's the case in a lot of Arizona cities too.

[@robertgronewold3326]

@@henryknox4511 The population boom in Arizona happened in the 60's.......

[@wutzittouya3765]

In Bismarck ND, we had 150+ consecutive days of having 8+” of snow on the ground this past winter. We nearly doubled the old record. Stay out!

[@PositivelyPessimistic42]

Yeah? How about this year? 🤙🏼North Dakota native 👈🏻

[@mariop3925]

Im jealous, we had only one single day of snow here in western germany. Guess i don't have to mention it was less then 3cm.

[@carlosnorris352]

They’re calling it “climate change” now because “global warming” was contradicted by the numbers.

[@renegadetenor]

I love ND, but I will be staying out. Too old for that much snow anymore..Cheers!

[@ButcherBob]

I miss the snow. I'm going to have to visit there this winter.

[@Jason-xr7fh]

I live in northwest Montana and i am in the construction industry. I can definitely say there has been a shift. We are absolutely booming in population. I think people will be migrating to places like Montana to get away from our cities.

[@willisswenson3843]

You are correct. They move from democrat run states because of the mismanagement. Then? The dumb F’s vote democrat.

[@celticfire9881]

Don’t tell too many people about it, keep it low key.

[@SuperAnimeking100]

@@DannyGreen-dl2be South Park talked about this really well

[@bobsacamano7653]

prices have skyrocketed

[@charleshoang7687]

I hope 10 million of people in california will move up here because it's too crowded here,it take me 1 hour to drive 30 miles to work .

[@newwaveinfantry8362]

Simple - Cold, dry and mountainous is the type of environment that people avoid worldwide. Also, the western half of the country was settled very recently. EDIT: It seems like my comment was less clear to people than I thought it would be. I want to clarify that I was not stating my opinion on which climate is best or worst - I was simply stating the objective reality that, historically, large settlements happened almost exclusively in low-lying, flat, wet lands near rivers and river deltas, often on coasts, because long-distance water-redirection technology simply didn't exist and people needed large bodies of water nearby and farmable land. This is why the US, Indian, European, African, etc. population distribution maps look the way they do. It's easy to see the strong correlation between high population and rivers, river deltas, coasts, lowlands, wetlands, flat land, as well as the corrolation between a lack of population and deserts, mountains, tundra areas, rugged terrain, lack of large rivers and lakes. And that's accounting for recent changes. Historically the population distribution was even more disproportionate than it is today. I didn't think this needed to be stated but here is your context for my comment.

[@jamescoulson7729]

The strangest part though is that in Canada just north there are massive urban areas like Calgary(with an urban population similar to Austin Texas) Edmonton(similar urban population to Nashville or Salt Lake City) or even Winnipeg (with a urban population and density similar to Honolulu) with cities like Saskatoon, or Regina also being larger than anywhere south of the border. But a lot of that is to do with climate and how the land is much more fertile in Canada and so that region has become a breadbasket of the world and is able to support a large and rising population while the land just directly south cannot

[@chinguunerdenebadrakh7022]

@@jamescoulson7729 it's also just consequence of an artificial border. From what I remember Angola's southern part is much more sparsely populated than namibia's northern part even though both are much more similar in climate. That's because angola's North is much more fertile while Namibia South is very very desolate, so "relative fertility" for soith Angola and north Namibia are different even if geographically they might be similar.

[@jamescoulson7729]

@@chinguunerdenebadrakh7022 sure that might play some role but Northern Alberta was seen as one of the most fertile land in the entire British empire, producing higher, wheat yields per acre than anything in India Australia, southern Ontario etc….So it’s a real agricultural region of the world. It’s in a different climate too and when you travel in Alberta it’s green and covered in farm fields while travelling through Montana is brown and covered in dried grasses. You can even go and look at satellite photos and see the difference as the border is artificial but still roughly follows different climate and hydrological and glacial zones

[@AngelicoCiudad]

You just skipped the part about Calgary and Edmonton.

[@deyoungyoung3059]

Agree

[@ryanwagner8409]

It's also important to note that many of the states in the Empty North have a lot of federal land in them, which dramatically reduces the area that people can settle in

[@answerman9933]

That is a fair point.

[@sethowens8762]

North and South Dakota average at about 93% privately owned across the states. More private in ND, with about 95-97% of our land being privately owned.

[@saschaschneider9157]

I've heard the US has the major part of their ICBM arsenal stationed in this area. And therefore this area is most likely a major target of the russians arsenal in the case of an nuclear exchange. But that's really hearsay, I have no evidence for that. - I live about 1 km (~0.6 miles) from the USEUCOM, the United States European Command, and actually got pretty jumpy since I know this. So I can relate to someone who don't wants to live near an possible ICBM target.

[@matthew6863]

Wyoming and Idaho, sure. But those are the only two that fall in the top 10, and they're up there with many other, much more populated western states such as Washington, Oregon, Colorado and of course, Arizona. I believe the points brought up in the video are much more relevant, especially considering they cover the area as a whole instead of just the mountains.

[@aliensoup2420]

A lot of Indian Reservations.

[@JUVI9596]

As someone who lives in Calgary, we drive often into Montana and Idaho for the sheer tranquility and small population and wide open spaces. I love it. Wouldn’t trade it for anything. Big cities are stressful.

[@BigBri550]

But doesn't it bug you how we say CAL-grr- ee instead of Cal-GAIR-ee?

[@JUVI9596]

@@BigBri550 I wasn’t born there. I could care less

[@annoyed707]

Not a fan of the Deerfoot squeeze every morning?

[@M-D-]

Calgary is anything but stressful downtown is so dead

[@anncata7368]

But the availability of goods and services are easier to attain.

[@xxkittnenxx]

I've lived in Montana my entire life (35 years) and I can't imagine living anywhere else. The winters can be rough, but it's worth it. I'm taking my kids to GNP this summer and I can't wait to show them the true beauty of our incredible state.

[@Yesme198]

Ah the Far cry5 state😂

[@morganvikings_]

I have grandparents who live in the black hills in South Dakota and I can confirm that the empty north is a beautiful place despite no one living there

[@K.O.Pro01]

Can't help but wonder if it's beautiful because no one is living there

[@insertedgynamehere2851]

@@K.O.Pro01 yes

[@jerylregina7392]

i cannot support my life,there,tho😮everythg was more exp😢

[@highway2heaven91]

The main reason why Canada has large population centers on this side of the border while America does not is because of the Aspen Parkland region that lies almost entirely on the Canadian side of the region. The Aspen Parkland was nicknamed “Palliser’s Triangle” (named for explorer John Palliser) and it forms a triangle that almost lines up with the locations of all of the Canadian Prairie cities (excluding Regina which was located in an isolated fertile valley). Inside of the triangle, the soil was much more fertile than the arid soil located inside of this triangle and to the south of it. The 49th parallel happened to be located south of this triangle and therefore all of Montana and most of North Dakota lie in the arid zone to the south of it. Only a small piece of the Aspen Parkland natural region stretches into the US, mainly in NW Minnesota and NE North Dakota. Coincidentally, this is where the city of Grand Forks is and it’s just to the North of Fargo/Moorhead. Because so little of this region is in the US, it is seldom referenced by Americans geographers. Now for the reason why Edmonton and Calgary got so big, large deposits of oil were discovered outside of both cities. Although Edmonton’s oil reserves were much larger, Calgary’s were discovered about 30 years earlier so the oil companies set up shop there and had already established a corporate hub by the time that the oil deposits were discovered near Edmonton. The fact that Calgary was closer to the other major cities of Canada and the US was a incredibly helpful coincidence. Thanks for posting this video. I was watching for a geography KZbinr to cover this geographic anomaly.

[@N.i.l]

thanks!

[@answerman9933]

I thought the main reason Canadians lived on the other side of the Empty North was because they not have much choice to live further south and still be in Canada.

[@michaelfox6820]

Palliser's Triangle is actually a semi-arid region, and most of it is, or at least was, prairie. At the time of Palliser's exploration, the Aspen Parkland was to the north of that designated area, although, thanks to the fighting of forest fires, aspen parkland has invaded to the south and east and now covers about half of Palliser's Triangle.

[@Kevin19700]

Excellent information! Thanks for sharing! I had no idea about any of this geography 😳

[@highway2heaven91]

@@michaelfox6820 Thanks for clearing that up. Most of the cities on the Canadian side are located in this thin strip of the Aspen Parkland which ends well before the US Border. Interestingly, places like Edmonton, Calgary and even Banff didn’t have a lot of trees until those areas got more populated (or in Banff’s case, became a National Park) and they started putting out the forest fires that maintained the semi-arid landscape that this area originally had. As far as I know, this is what caused the Parkland to swallow up some of the Palliser’s Triangle to the south.

[@joedavenport934]

I live in Spokane and we like to call it the "sunny side of the state" becuase Seattle is so cloudy and grey. The snow here is rarely more than 6" and rarely dips below freezing for too long. Spokane is the biggest metro area between Seattle and Minneapolis and between Calgary and Salt Lake City which is basically the region you highlighted. So we have a very very far reaching influence on this entire area - roughly 20% of the entire United States like you said. For that reason Spokane is a major service oriented city with great hospitals and schools and a major hub for businesses who want to reach the region you highlighted.

[@SP4RK3LS]

I am here from Washington State, I lived in Walla Walla, Spokane, and many more area's its so peaceful!

[@DaveMiller2]

When I was growing up in Spokane in the 70s, it was called the capitol of the Inland empire. It's the second largest city in Washington (sorry Tacoma) and you can drive to many different land forms in an hour or two.

[@watchmanonthewall14]

Spokane is a dump. Crime is a major problem. And I have noticed that the city is, more and more, going woke. Truth.

[@LaurenLeech-z5r]

Agreed!! I've lived in the area for ten years, originally from Tacoma. I'm a fan of Skiing so I don't mind the harsher winters. It is drier on this side of the mountains, but we make up for it with all of the vineyards and hops that grow along the Columbia.

[@glencurtis2761]

Seems like Spokane and maybe all of Washington should have been excluded from your definition of the empty north, the way Boise is.

[@williamhild1793]

I live in the empty north, in South Dakota. Thank you for mentioning the climate. This past winter, we once went 7 straight days (108 hours in a row) where the temperature did not get above zero. Daytime high of minus 4. That kind of stuff. That week was preceded by nearly 30 inches of snow in a week. After we finally got above zero in January, we had two straight weeks of fog. We had 14 inches of snow again a few weeks ago in April. And we always get a few days above 100 degrees each year. But take away the climate, and the fact that it's a zillion miles to any meaningful large city, and it's a pretty good life out here.

[@markpimlott2879]

With that kind of bragging about the extremes of your climate and weather.... you could secretly be Canadians! 🥶 🤠 😅 🇨🇦 🍁 🇨🇦

[@williammartin6872]

Only 7 days? During our last January in Grand Forks, North Dakota, we had three weeks where the temperature stayed around -40 F!

[@mrburns805]

@@williammartin6872 that’s just straight up not true. Coming from someone who lives in Minot. It’s cold, but it almost never gets -40°F. Maybe for a few hours with windchill. We still live in the coldest state in the contiguous US. I’ve talked to severe people who moved here from Alaska and they say ND is colder because of the wind so we might be 1st in terms of uncomfortable weather lol

[@drfuck]

Nah that sounds shitty

[@greenwave819]

east TN had similar weather this past winter, just no snow.

[@Tbird1549]

A guy I used to work with moved back to his family home in Montana. Their home is 60 miles from the closest airport. Everything closes at 6pm but boy is it beautiful!

[@SkeetRadar]

I grew up in the empty north, and I'm still basically in it today. it's interesting to hear someone talk about this region, because we're often forgotten.

[@markrichards6863]

Montana is amazing. Everyone should visit, at least once. I'm from NYC. They have so much open space, amazing mountains and even the plains of Eastern Montana are more beautiful than the plains in other states. Go in spring or early summer. It's all breathtaking.

[@holla18atme]

Visiting is the way to go. Take it from someone who lives here.

[@slingerssecretlaboratory]

Please come visit! But you wouldn't want to live here for sure.

[@freewill1114]

Don't come here! It's horrible! If you don't die from freezing to death, you will almost certainly get eaten by a grizzly bear!

[@khz2172]

@@holla18atme you guys have a beautiful state. Every time I see any videos of Montana, I get so amazed, it's so awe-inspiring and I fall in love with the landscape. And I really want to live there but I know that as someone who has lived in a city all his life, reality might be different for me

[@porahi42nd]

I love Montana!! Gorgeous state indeed ❤❤

[@classic.cameras]

As someone who was raised in Edmonton and later moved to Calgary I can say that, while winters suck the summers are nice (minus smoke from forest fires). Montana is so similar and just saying "IF" say Alberta bought Montana from the USA I believe the next boom towns of North America would be Billings and Helena. We Canadians seem ONLY to be drawn to "big cities" and that is evident at how much Edm and Cgy have exploded in the last 30 years. I'd move to Billings or Helena in a heartbeat if I did not have to immigrate.

[@tuckerstewart5138]

as someone from Billings and who has spent a ton of time in Helena - I can say I REALLY wanted to move to Calgary. Billings is a pretty miserable place to live, but Helena is pretty nice!

[@jamescoulson7729]

Only problem is Montana doesn’t have good farmland while Alberta does but it is very pretty

[@radiofreeacab]

Canadians stick to "big cities" 😂 because there's LITERALLY NOTHING outside of the cities. ALL of Canada is vast, terrifying wilderness.

[@montanaman2439]

Billings sucks 😂

[@jamescoulson7729]

@@radiofreeacab I mean where all the big cities are have climates comparable to Eastern Europe except for costal bc which has a climate similar to Western Europe. Toronto has the climate and temperature or Warsaw Poland, Montreal has the climate and temperature of Saint Petersburg. Vancouver has a climate similar to Paris etc…. It’s colder than average yah but not horrifyingly cold

[@colbycharles52]

The winters in North Dakota can get pretty brutal but it’s true what they say about the winters keep the riff-raff out.

[@andre1987eph]

Certainly keeps homeless out

[@chrisjudd6]

That and the fact there no large cities.

[@johnarmstrong472]

It doesn't here (in Canada)

[@JWells-mz1jr]

Yes, the winters in Northern North Dakota are horribly cold. I am from the South, so the US Air Force, in its infinite wisdom, sent me to Minot, where I flew for nine years. Did I ever get used to the cold?? Only when I was deployed to Guam during the Vietnam War!!!!!

[@ifandwhen-kl2cr]

@@andre1987eph this is no longer true in Fargo.

[@kaseywahl]

I grew up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (kind of on the border of the populated/unpopulated area of the map). It was a really nice place to grow up in as a kid. Not much to offer as an adult. Very isolated from the rest of the country, but generally safe and a low cost of living. That said, I've seen my hometown grow from a large town of about 80k to a small city of about 200k (counting the metro area). As an adult, I'm thankful to have grown up on the border of urban and rural. It has afforded me the opportunity to see things from both sides of a lot of the cultural and political splits in the country.

[@johnhein2539]

Country driving during the summer and fall through those areas is an absolute dream! Beautiful states, not too much traffic. Great coffee shop towns as well! Will repeat.

[@RomanVarl]

And it's a wonderful thing. To have a place without hordes of people, in such a populous and prosperous country

[@the_expidition427]

It's big enough

[@normanclatcher]

Big Sky country

[@salkoharper2908]

@@73v99 If your definition of overcrowded is that 17 new people moved to town then yeah i guess. Although from the population numbers he quotes in the video it seems as empty as Siberia. You probably just don't like outsiders of any number, even 1 or 2 new people. I'd be happy for some new settlers if my state was so empty of young people, jobs and opportunities.

[@John3.36]

@@73v99 Not true, eventually people will move out. People are cyclic in Montana, they come and go. After the TV show ends, people will forget it again. After a few cold winters, no jobs, etc., they will go back to CA or wherever.

[@John3.36]

@@73v99 It is sad, but it is reality. Honestly, if you lived in CA you would probably want to go to MT too. I imagine 150 years ago the Indians felt the same way when those from the east started coming. Then 100 years ago, and 50 years ago, etc. Every era changes, population increases, new problems arise, etc. Still that region is a nicer place to live than most of the rest of the USA.

[@hullsome]

Boise, Idaho is right on the border and if it were included, the metro population would add nearly 1 Million people… and it’s still booming here! I think other metros nearby will share similar experiences soon. I believe, specifically Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming will be among the fastest growing states over the next 30 years. Boise’s mild climate is so moderate due to the low elevation. Bozeman, Missoula, Coeur D’alene and Jackson are some really cool cities to check out!

[@timdaugherty7612]

I think you could be right. The long running pattern of moving to the sun belt is going to start shifting northwards and summers get longer and hotter. I know two people planning on making the jump soon!

[@hullsome]

@@timdaugherty7612 that, combined with the exodus of California and the progressive expansion out west! ☝🏼

[@timothykeith1367]

​@@timdaugherty7612 Much of the Sunbelt isn't doing great. The regions that are drawing many cause some to think everybody has gone south. Metro Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, the Texas triangle cities and South Florida are booming. Other parts of the sunbelt are not doing so well: Memphis, New Orleans, nearly all of Mississippi and most of Alabama aren't booming. - NAFTA and Asian outsourcing walloped blue collar regions.

[@williammartin6872]

Shh!!!! Don't tell any more people about Coeur d'Alene! It's already too crowded in the summer already!

[@twostop6895]

Lol

[@velodjk2975]

As a kid growing up in Spokane in the 70's and 80's, I remember local news stories about elderly residents who were born in "Washington Territory."

[@roadwarrior1589]

My grandfather was born in Spokane before Washington got statehood in 1889.

[@watchmanonthewall14]

Back in a time that people generally had good morals, unlike the crime-ridden, leaning woke city of Spokane today.

[@mikemccormick8115]

I lived in Minot, ND for two years (for job). After that I moved to Fairbanks, Alaska because I wanted to live where the Winters were more mild.

[@jackychandler8594]

I can guess most people reading that thought U were joking. Well, I don't. Hell, I live in western Iowa about 60 miles south of the corner of S. Dakota. The windchill here can be horrible because of the wide open land in North and South Dakota pouring in at 40 to 60 mph in winter. I have seen what N Dakota gets because I watch the weather closely. Was -51 here in Feb. N.dakota was worse.

[@mikemccormick8115]

Minot, ND is very very cold in Winter where wind chill factor can get to -50 easy. I saw -90 once when I was there. The jet stream dips into the top of North Dakota (over Minot) during Winter. It can literally be as cold as the North Pole. But good, wholesome people there. I have family in Rapid City and it can be bitter cold there too. But Minot is at another level🥶🥶🥶

[@woodrewwilson1327]

You really made me laugh. Yup...Minot is COLD in the winter!

[@birb_ie]

@@mikemccormick8115 so THATS why were so abruptly cold in the winter? ive always wondered why us specifically, and not anywhere else for the most part

[@mikemanjo2458]

Hey Geoff! Great video. Well researched and presented. Two other reasons might be that when originally settled, there were the Plains Indians already living there and secondly, there were and still are some pretty fierce natural preditors to deal with (bears, cougars, wolves and others that might fight you for the territory). Enjoying your work, Jane

[@carsonworoniecki9342]

I’ve lived my whole life ranching and working archaeology in the empty north. Life can be difficult here sometimes but my family, friends, and lifestyle are all rooted here. The life I live here could not be lived anywhere else. Although I’ve visited over half the country along with several others worldwide, I don’t see myself ever moving from this region. Edit: I live in North Dakota not Montana lol most folks commenting assume I’m from Montana haha but I get it. It’s the biggest state in the region

[@John3.36]

Montana's #1 export is its people.

[@legion_prex3650]

sounds nice! I would love to live in Montana and have a peaceful life.

[@virginiahunt357]

It's a beautiful area.

[@user-kh1zo4sc9l]

Good for you. I say people leaving makes it better. Peace and quiet and wide open spaces.

[@BigBri550]

@@John3.36 Montana's people are all imported. hardly anyone is from here anymore.

[@jonathanbowers8964]

This is why we really arent going to colonize Mars anytime soon. There is so much of this planet that is barely settled with a much milder climate than Mars. Even Antarctica is balmy and inviting compared to Mars. That and a general decline of the human population in the coming two centuries mean that is highly unlikely that Mars will be a sensible economic investment for a few centuries or more.

[@jackattack8661]

There’s really nothing more lovely than the northern Rockies! Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana will always be my homeland. A harsh climate for sure but the best region of the entire country imo.

[@NYCDurrani]

Umm maybe worth visiting but the best part of the US? Stop it man. Being in Montana or Wyoming probably isn't much different from living on the moon. Aint nobody trying to walk around in steel toed boots, with a sheepskin jacket and raccoon hat. Plus, there's no diversity in regards to women there.

[@andre1987eph]

Nothing beats the Eastern Sierras (Inyo County California) sorry

[@RoCK3rAD]

Nothing beats Appalachia the last of real American values.

[@Phantom121904]

Lets just agree that mountains are awesome

[@dananorth895]

Lol....your all right!

[@---bk2hj]

Excellent Thanks Again Take Care

[@jt98116]

Nice work Geoff. I grew up in North Dakota, pre Bakken oil boom. Clean, safe, and very sparsely populated. Somewhat limited options for land use in terms of revenue creation and brutally cold winters may always inhabit the population of this region.

[@classic.cameras]

They should live in Montana. I live in Alberta and it is BEAUTIFUL just like Montana. Montana is a wonderful state.

[@jamescoulson7729]

Alberta isn’t arid Montana is. Despite being really close they actually have very different climates that make the agricultural situation very different

[@hoopty.]

Is black people allowed in Montana?

[@SamsungS23Ultr]

​@@hoopty. NO. NEVER. MAUAHHAHAHAHAH. This isn't the 1860s my guy

[@hoopty.]

@@SamsungS23Ultr yes I'm just saying, it's a really white state and I'm afraid to come up missing

[@colbycharles52]

@@hoopty.black people get treated pretty darn good up here. Sorta like a novelty because there just aren’t very many around.

[@jegm1118]

6:00 those are NOT the only two reasons why AZ is much more populated. Migration from Mexico has a lot to do with it too.

[@BaronClapper]

Do a video on the Great Basin. I used to drive from Salt Lake City, UT to Klamath Falls, OR once a month for work. It's scary how desolate and barren it is.

[@henryknox4511]

Don't run out of gas between towns in NV.

[@jessebrown8519]

As a North West Montana boy for 35 years, I can say it sure is nice not having too many people around. with ❣️ from Montana

[@docjanos]

As a geography Ph.D. I'll give you a solid "A" on this one. Well done. Would only add that Calgary is a major agric. center as the land to the east is some of the most fertile in Canada. It and some mining gave the city its pre-oil boom. Calagry in many ways is "Denver North" Also, while the region as a whole is still relatively empty there are several booming metro areas, expecially Missoula, Bozeman, the Kalispell area and Boise. In many case high end California "refugees" have moved in making it their primary homes. In effect Montana has become two different states with the culture and economics of the western section rapidly changing while the larger are to the east remaing steady. That boom is reflected in Montana acquiring an extra congressional seat post the 2020 census. There is also the issue of the Bakken in NW Norrth Dakota. The oil industry boomed turning Williston into an 1890s style Wild West town, expensive, messy, vice filled. It will of course bust. It is interesting to compare the pop distrubtion of the world's largest countries in both area and population. Among those the US is probably the most broadly distributed with only 1-2 such "Empty Quarters" Much of the Chinese populations is in the east, India has a big empty area in the NW [otherwise India is comparable to the US in being well distributed]. Russia's population is almost all within a concentrated area within the European section, most of the vast Asian area is entirely empty. Brazil is huge but its 100 million people are almost all along the coast. Canada and Australia are two gigantic countries with few people. Canada is largely empty apart from the very dense Laurentian Corridor and the Fraser Valley in the west. Australia is perhaps the most concentrated of all these with some 90+ % located in a handful of cities.

[@sloppy1512]

I recently moved to South Dakota, just north of Sioux Falls, and I love it! Growing up in the Eastern part of Washington State, the weather was not enough of a detraction to keep me away from this absolute gem of a state! Small town rural living is just what I was looking for in a state with VERY friendly tax laws and freedom that some people only dream about.

[@josephdonais4778]

More power to ya man. I am glad ya like it. I spent 22yrs in WY running big rigs, oil, coal, molten sulfur... I am now in my 8th year in the Columbia River Valley, (west) with weather that even Georgians might dream about... and no flipping chiggers either, ya hear that Texas?

[@slingerssecretlaboratory]

Moved to NW Montana 5 years ago. Love it and wish I would have made the jump sooner.

[@kkarllwt]

15 years ago I spent a few days in Madison SD. with the intent of moving there. It is more expensive than northern Ill. and everything is a 40 mile drive. Walmart? Brookings or souiox falls. Office depot, menards, home depot. everything is a one hour drive.

[@twostop6895]

@@slingerssecretlaboratory lol

[@Originalman144]

I saw cows and horses in Eastern Washington living 10x better than people in a lot of US cities. I drove from Spokane down to Pullman, Lewiston, and into Oregon and was amazed at the beauty

[@Sacto1654]

The fact there are actually settlements in this region comes down to one person: James Jerome HIll. Reason: he led companies that built railroads across this region at the end of the 19th Century, and as a result many farms and ranches in this region owe their very existance to towns built along the rail lines, especially the Great Northern Railway.

[@mpetersen6]

Plus the Milwaukee Road. The MR was one of the few railroads (1) in the US that put massive investment in electrification of its mainline. 1) Aside from interurbans

[@dongrainer6405]

Don't forget the Northern Pacific RR which built a southern route earlier.

[@iboKirby]

Hey. That’s where I live. I live in North Dakota. It was the weirdest experience when I first drove up to Winnipeg. It blows my mind that North Dakota can be so empty but drive an hour North from the border and there’s a city whose population is significantly bigger than the whole state of North Dakota. Granted, if say Fargo, ND had the same percentage of North Dakota’s population as Winnipeg does for Manitoba, Fargo would be a fairly big city.

[@justinjoeltracyii]

Does Moorhead get any love here?

[@iboKirby]

@@justinjoeltracyii haha. There’s a reason no one talks about Moorhead. I kid. I kid. I used to work at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead. It’s alright.

[@robertgronewold3326]

I remember this from when I lived in Bemidji Minnesota. Barely anyone outside of the city area, but then you would cross the border into Canada and it was practically a suburban sprawl. So many more people.

[@jje8182]

@AliceJLiddell lol. If I give you love will you me moorhead?🤭

[@johnarmstrong472]

Haha, glad you came up. Winnipeg is also quite multicultural, such as the significant Filipino community. Why they would settle in Winterpeg is beyond me...

[@lightningfantb3824]

The cold up there is no joke. I'm from Florida, and I had to fuel my semi truck in Montana this past winter. -35 outside with 40 MPH winds is no joke. I love Montana, but I don't think I could do winters up there.

[@pw4g492]

I live in Montana. The weather is crazy! Some winters are mild others are hard. This last winter was very long. It started the first week in November and snow finally melted in April. 6 months of rain. May gave us a lot of rain it’s the 1st of June and it’s still cloudy.

[@pw4g492]

Sorry I can’t edit. 6 months of snow not rain.

[@itzamia]

No Oceans, no ports, long winding rivers, coldest places to live in the contiguous 48, flat with a high chances of major tornado outbreaks in the Spring and Fall, or mountainous snowy terrain. Just wanted to see if any of these reasons made the list before I press play from the start.

[@mithos789]

tornados? thats a dealbreaker.

[@itzamia]

@@mithos789 All along the East side of the Rockies, all that cold air mixes with the warm Southern air and now all it needs is a flat plain to form on.

[@BrianAshenhurst805]

Exactly

[@deborahnelson7907]

I live in Missoula, Montana. I moved here from Memphis, Tennessee, where the climate is very different: hot and humid. Summers here are incredible. Elevation should be considered when you discuss regions of the country, as Missoula is in a valley, and we're still about 3,400 feet above sea level. Montana is quite large, and you must cover a tremendous distance to travel anywhere or to network with those in other towns/cities. Supply chains are affected! Also travel is impacted by the mountains because most highways follow rivers around mountains, adding distance. Nothing is "as the crow flies," which describes the flat parts of the country.

[@toirmetalshaping]

Missoula is beautiful. Driving there from Calgary was an experience. You'll drive off the road looking at the beautiful landscape. Same as going through the Canadian Rockies. . . . Missoula was alot of fun.

[@jeffvanderwerf3391]

Montana is definitely gorgeous.

[@cutehumor]

im from Memphis tn. live near Nashville TN. i bet its a culture shock to be in Montana

[@anonymouslyanonymous5987]

I live in Missoula as well. Hi neighbor! Missoula is a true mountain city. How it’s able to develop to where it is today is insane to think about considering how inaccessible it seems! All of cities in Montana are so far apart just like you said. Butte is 2 hours away. Kalispell is 2 hours away. Bozeman is 4-5 hours away I can’t even remember! Luckily, everything we need is in Missoula anyway.

[@anonymouslyanonymous5987]

I live in Missoula as well. Hi neighbor! Missoula is a true mountain city. How it’s able to develop to where it is today is insane to think about considering how inaccessible it seems! All of cities in Montana are so far apart just like you said. Butte is 2 hours away. Kalispell is 2 hours away. Bozeman is 4-5 hours away I can’t even remember! Luckily, everything we need is in Missoula anyway.

[@jean-claudelol563]

I lived in Montana for a while, back in the mid/late 1990's. Took some graduate courses there. Finding a job was difficult and after a couple of years I left for work in another state. It was a great place to live but without work... Couldn't stay. I still miss it some 20+ years later.

[@SurferJoe46]

C'mon back --- wages are up now to $15/hr after a couple of years of probationary internship.

[@anitakristensen4679]

@@SurferJoe46 good luck finding a place to live. Rent prices are sky high.

[@anonymouslyanonymous5987]

It’s what happened when rich out of staters buy properties in Montana without any intention to stay in Montana and contribute to the local economy! It’s happening right now in Bozeman. They simply buy these properties to live in during the summer and that’s it. Those Californians and New Yorkers are mainly to be blamed.

[@anitakristensen4679]

@@anonymouslyanonymous5987 same thing in Livingston. But we also became a bedroom for Bozeman.

[@Sushi2735]

One thing, the Empty North is 100 times better than living in a city like Atlanta with hoodlums on every corner, getting short in traffic and having to walk your kids two doors down for a play date! I’ll take it any day!

[@gregorynixonAUTHOR]

You might have noted that as soon one crosses the 49th parallel into Canada, the population everywhere increases (not just Calgary & Edmonton). Canada's major railroads and the No. 1 Trans-Canada highway are all near the Canada-U.S. border. There are many more small cities in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan near the border than there are American cities. It's not all about "oil" but about farming, irrigation, and transportation too. Not even to mention national identity.

[@johnarmstrong472]

And we have to live somewhere!

[@chrisdorst9387]

Empty North: 500,000 sq mi and 5,000,000 people. Alaska: Hold my ice cubes.

[@Redfour5]

Canadians say the same thing...

[@crg233]

All you have to do is pick a random town in this area, check out the job and housing situation, and then think: "Do I really want to pull up stakes and move there?" That's why it will always be relatively empty. The few places attracting new people can't keep up with housing, which is another impediment to anyone wanting to relocate out there.

[@rothmeierfinancials]

I appreciate the way that you insert ads into your videos. You do it in a very respectful way and that is very admirable. It's okay that you announce your sponsors because everybody needs get paid for their work, including you, you deserve to get paid for the good work that you do for all of us. You announce ads in a way that is subtle and not pushy which is more than can be said about many KZbin content creators. I also really appreciate your video content 👍

[@0HARE]

Thanks for the information. It was interesting and useful.

[@mh0862]

I've lived in that north country. Cold as hell and blizzards you'd have to see to believe. Yes, oil in Edmonton, but Calgary has a climate similar to Denver. Those Chinook winds can bring springtime temperatures in January.

[@TrentJonas]

Northeastern Minnesota is not the Great Plains, rather it’s a forest/boreal forest ecosystem. There are at least 6 national parks - Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Wind Cave, Badlands, and Voyageurs (and possibly North Cascades) in the shaded area. And what about Winnipeg as a population center in Canada?

[@tomfields3682]

Yes👍 Also, NE Minnesota Did attract many immigrants back in the day, when the iron mines were producing! Same thing with Butte MT with the copper mines.

[@toddspringett7547]

Don't forget Theodore Roosevelt national park

[@toddspringett7547]

Don't forget Theodore Roosevelt national park

[@TrentJonas]

@@toddspringett7547 Totally missed it - and it’s such an awesome park, too!!

[@xlerb2286]

North Dakotan here. Yup, winters are long and cold. But it's not that big a deal so long as you don't do stupid things like go for a road trip assuming you don't need seasonal clothing along because the car has a good heater. And for me the plusses far outweigh the negatives. I'm sitting here at my second home. It's a nice old farmhouse located on a quarter of land so plenty of room for a hobby farm if I wanted, I've got fiber internet right to the house, there's rural water, and the electricity is super reliable. A town of several thousand people is just a couple miles away so shopping for basics isn't an issue. Draw a circle with a half mile radius centered on my house, count the number of people within the circle that aren't me and the answer is zero. My main home is in one of the larger towns in ND. And all that is affordable without being wealthy. So why so few people around here? The weather isn't for everyone and until recently with telecommuting being an option there weren't that many well paying jobs here. Some yes certainly. But no big manufacturing operations. Agriculture is big here but is also highly mechanized and increasingly automated so it's not a big employer and hasn't been for years. And if you like the entertainment opportunities in a large city you're going to be bored here. So it's hard for us to keep or attract younger folk. So be it, that just means more peace and quiet for those of us that are here :)

[@karens1967]

So...what you're saying is that I could have two homes, a quarter of land (whatever that is), a hobby farm, and internet fiber right up to my second home out there in the middle of nowhere, without being wealthy? Wow.

[@xlerb2286]

@@karens1967 Yes, if you make it a priority. I'm not saying you can do it with pocket change but I've got less in both places combined than the median home price in NYC. (A quarter of land is 160 acres, or put another way it's a square plot of land that is half a mile on each side. ) Now a lot of people don't like the "middle of nowhere" bit of course. That's a lifestyle decision. For me I like it quiet.

[@janetd5317]

Sounds wonderful. Wish I could do that. Happy life !

[@FloraJoannaK]

Sounds a lot like the Northern Europe. Low population density on a large area. It's a difficult sell for tourists and immigrants, but us Fenno-Scandians tend to love the rugged nature, and appreciate the extreme seasons. Montana sounds like an interesting place to visit, being a Finn from a very flat country.

[@bobsacamano7653]

Cost of living there is incredibly expensive

[@anncata7368]

You must also like the snow and frigid temperatures.

[@bobsacamano7653]

@@anncata7368 love it

[@FloraJoannaK]

@@anncata7368 I like the seasonal extremes. Hot *and* cold.

[@xoxoa24]

I wonder what percent of this land is federally owned? That also affects the amount of people that can live there.

[@glennaolsen9765]

I lived 20 years in the rural area south of Calgary. We always got at least -40 to -50 for 2 weeks in the winter. Summer could get hot but it is not humid so was easier to take. Often, in January or February the Chinook winds would blow off the Rockies and it could warm up from -30 to +40 in less than an hour. You have to be rugged to take the erratic weather. I realized quickly that being unprepared for cold weather could kill you. Every car had sleeping bags and candles during the winter. Candles can make enough heat to keep you from freezing if you were unlucky enough to have car or snowdrift trouble. I was born and raised in Spokane, Washington where the weather isn’t so extreme. They get -20 only rarely, not too much snow and beautiful summers. This area has lots of recreational perks. Many lakes, including Pend’Orielle and Coeur’de Alene, for swimming, boating, fishing. There are many ski resorts and cultural attractions. Spokane is a great place to live. Not too hot or too cold, No hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, or earthquakes.

[@jackychandler8594]

Although I don't want to live in a city as big as Spokane, I have done my research for yrs on that exact area in N.East Washington and panhandle of Idaho. U are correct with the facts U stated. I retire next spring and that area is in my sights. I'm an outdoor person , who loves mountains, hunting and fishing. All of that is fantastic there.👍

[@mattslaboratory5996]

The Canadian cities you mention are also just east of the Rockies. But note that there are other big cities in the Canadian Prairies: Regina, Saskatoon, and, biggest of all, Winnipeg. Surely transportation issues and history are important.

[@whysskrilm8049]

as a Winnipegger myself, I was pretty insulted by the omission. I can understand leaving out Regina and Saskatoon since they're fairly comparable to the biggest cities on the American side. But Winnipeg's metro area isn't much smaller than Edmonton's, and is almost twice that of Spokane.

[@ToddSauve]

@@whysskrilm8049 Both Calgary and Edmonton are bigger than Winnipeg. Sorry.

[@whysskrilm8049]

@@ToddSauve and?

[@ToddSauve]

@@whysskrilm8049 And what?

[@johnarmstrong472]

​@@whysskrilm8049Yes, Winterpeg was an omission, but is about the same as Spokane and not near the size of Cowtown or Oilerton. Just because you got an NHL team... I should know, I'm from Toronto and I know everything 😊

[@alison-ip8ky]

My nephew works in the oil industry in North Dakota but his family lives outside of Denver. He spends two weeks in North Dakota and then a week back in Denver. There simply isn't enough housing for him to move his family to North Dakota and his wife doesn't want to live there even if they did build housing.

[@gkranch990]

Here in Wyoming we have the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Indian reservations, school sections, national forests, national parks, and national monuments. Add it all up and you're left with only about 40% of the state being privately owned. Odd that it was never mentioned in the video.

[@jackychandler8594]

I think that number is closer to 70/30 federal and state ownership to private. Just saw those numbers a few days ago on a WY video. Either way, Ur point is spot on.

[@rogerpr364]

heating bills! take my word! I live near Montréal! a few times I've gone down south for hollidays near the worm beach, but gotten homesick so for the last three decades in winter we go spend a couple of weeks in Québec city! it's much colder but it's fun!

[@miles4270]

One thing id like to pt out is that the part of minnesota included is mostly dense forest and lakes (including the great lake region) which is vastly different than the great plains.

[@PoliceBlot]

Very similar to western MT

[@BadgerCheese94]

​@@PoliceBlotNahh its more like Maine

[@johnchedsey1306]

I grew up in the Colorado mountains not far south of the Wyoming border, so I'm almost honorary Empty North. Let's just say that the amount of cold and snow I endured as a kid is a huge reason why I'm in the desert now. More power to those who love winter weather, but it's just not for me

[@terry58501]

no shame. no shame at all. those of us who endure it still think it sucks.

[@Originalman144]

I agree. Extreme heat is better than extreme cold. You can go out in the heat, but you can't do anything with tons of snow and extreme cold -- sometimes you cannot even dig the car and driveway out before getting snowed in again.

[@dogvom]

When talking about Canadian prairie cities with large populations, you should also have mentioned Winnipeg, which has about 750,000 people, surrounded by virtual emptiness. It got big because it was a rail hub for the entire country. And taken together, the cities of Regina and Saskatoon have about 600,000 people; at one time, Saskatchewan used to the the 3rd-most-populous province in Canada due to massive immigration. And then the Great Depression and dustbowl hit at about the same time.

[@Tonyx.yt.]

Im quite sure Manitoba used to be the 3rd most populated province back in early 1900s not Saskatchewan

[@tomfields3682]

Love Corner Gas!

[@fuerimmer9627]

@@Tonyx.yt. In 1911, Saskatchewan had a population of about 490,000 people and was the 3rd most populous province. Manitoba had about 460,000 people at that time and was in fifth. Saskatchewan was the 3rd most populous province from the 1911 census up until the 1941 census while Manitoba‘s highest position was fourth (in the 1921 census).

[@Tonyx.yt.]

@@fuerimmer9627 ok, then so close

[@fuerimmer9627]

@@Tonyx.yt. Yes, at that time their populations where quite similar.

[@nealrcn]

I have been in all these states multiple time throughout the years. For the most part it is stunningly beautiful. But then winter. The coldest I have seen was -22. Snow overnight over my head I am six foot. So the empty north is a good (if you like mosquitoes )place to live 7 months of the year

[@hollyheikkinen4698]

I am in Northeastern Minnesota & we definitely see -22°F frequently. I live about 25 miles from the state record holder for the coldest air temperature of -60°F. Our weather has been pretty crazy in recent years - it used to be -30s & -40s the whole month of January. One winter, the governor cancelled school statewide at the beginning of January due to wind chills in the -55°F range & the kids had a couple extra days of Christmas vacation after it "warmed up" in most of the state. It was -55°F up here the entire month, but no more days off once the governor lifted the closure statewide. The rule for playing outside at school was something like -25° air temperature when I was young in the 1970s & 1980s. We were outside a lot, regardless of the temperature. Mosquitos are a pain - but I will take them over hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanos, etc. Actually, here on the Iron Range, the mine blasts are about the same as a level 3 earthquake.

[@zaiologyy]

Love these videos, they cut straight to the chase and have as much wisdom as quickly as can be :) Much appreciated

[@jamescoulson7729]

One thing I’d like to note is the similarities between the empty north/prairie Canada and ural Russia/northern Kazakhstan. Where they are in many ways very similar to eachother climate wise where in Russia you have large cities in relatively fertile ground like Chelyabinsk, Omsk and Yekaterinburg but just south in Kazakhstan the land becomes far more arid and gets to a climate more similar to Montana whyoming etc where there aren’t many cities and farming is not as easy. It’s in many ways a prime example of the same phenomenon across the world with the same rough climate and winter/summer temperatures too

[@greasher926]

But Northern Kazakstan is home to the capital Astana and it’s metro area is home to 1.4 million people. There is also another 0.5 million people in nearby Karaganda. But yes southwestern Siberia is a lot more populated than northern Kazakstan.

[@johnniewelbornjr.8940]

From a layman's perspective, I think this is why there is so much Russian, Ukrainian and Norwegian background here in North Dakota, simply because of climate tolerances during the immigration rush once railroads "opened" the Plains. I see it frequently while shooting images of old homesteads, churches, etc. in western North Dakota and eastern Montana.

[@juliagarb]

Interestingly enough. I’m from Chelyabinsk region Russia. Has my fair share of living in the cities while young, but eventually moved to Minnesota and love it. A bit desolate, I’d probably prefer Chicago or east Wisconsin but it comes with the price. Cost and crowding. Prefer Wisconsinites by communication, but the twin cities is where job market is at. And the music scene is hands down awesome for the us. 👌

[@prof.badfellow9868]

The cold winters definitely keep most people away. But the quality of life is good, the opportunities are ample and the land itself is vastly beautiful. My backyard is a literally a state forest and I wouldn’t trade it for anything

[@GB-ez6ge]

"Quality of life is good"? I guess we have different metrics.

[@prof.badfellow9868]

@@GB-ez6ge Or different attitudes

[@bloodymary3008]

Because it's too cold 🥶🥶

[@classic.cameras]

Cold is natures free air condition. Just buy a parka and some gloves. 😀

[@markrose53]

Recently traveled through Wyoming and from what I saw it’s no surprise few people chose to live there

[@smesui1799]

Hey Geoff ... is Portland ( Oregon ) still weird ? Heard from moving companies that there is a mass exodus from that area. Surprisingly people are going to Colorado, Florida, & Texas.

[@watchmanonthewall14]

After they all voted in the politicians who allowed the city to be torched during the plandemic, they fled to other states to spread their poison to new areas.

[@yafois988]

I meet ppl in grocery store lines, they all chime up "I'm leaving this damned place. I'm STILL thinking of leaving here. QUEERS stupidity Gov mindless derelicts have turned this beautiful place into a hell hole! , Antiffa Cowards, BLM Punks, compete DRUG riddled city PDX, its' a TOILET to say the least. Lived here since 65. This place will NEVER recover. Lots ppl still want to leave, thats the # 1 Topic all are facing LEAVE this filthy governed riddled garbage can place while you can.

[@vivekchalasani]

I'm from Arizona, and have lived here my entire life. However it's always been my dream to one day live up north. I love cold weather; I just find it so peaceful.

[@Z3N1TY0]

I’m also a lifelong Arizonan and I understand and respect you Though my willingness to go to colder places (even flagstaff. probably my go to bc it’s closest to home) depends on the season. Summer I’d rather go to California or Florida or just stay here, winter I’d LOVE to go somewhere like this

[@Z3N1TY0]

Before you ask why I want to stay in Arizona during the summer, one word: swimming

[@johnnyearp52]

​@@Z3N1TY0 Flagstaff is pretty cold.

[@Z3N1TY0]

@@johnnyearp52 im aware and i love it during the winter

[@mrburns805]

You think, but the wind in the Great Plains will change your mind about being outdoors. I don’t mind the cold but the wind chill 🥶 🧊

[@morgandixon8995]

I’ve lived in Rapid City, SD the vast majority of my life. I love it here and honestly don’t think the winter weather is that bad at all. Our climate is way better than Minneapolis and very similar to Denver’s weather.

[@jdjphotographynl]

Suppose it also doesn't help Canadians don't have much choice to move to somewhere warm within their country if they already wanted to. British Columbia is relatively mild during the winter, but it's not like they have a California, Texas, or Florida to move to in that sense. So whether you then live in Calgary, Winnipeg, or Toronto, it's going to be very cold during the winter either way.

[@lioneldemun6033]

The Oysoos valley ?

[@BadgerCheese94]

Why would anyone wanna move anywhere thats always warm? Its miserable. Give me the 4 seasons.

[@jdjphotographynl]

@@BadgerCheese94 I'm also more of a 4 seasons kind of guy, but clearly lots of people think otherwise given the massive population boost California, Texas, and Florida have been having over the years... 🤷‍♂️

[@johnarmstrong472]

As Mike Myers said, one of the best things about Canada is Florida...

[@LaurenLeech-z5r]

"Empty North" - my new metal band

[@Jay-rx1hs]

Huge advantage of the colder weather 5-6 months of the year. No homelessness. I live in Idaho falls SE Idaho. I travel and can’t wait to get back home to breath from all the hustle and bustle

[@williammartin6872]

Great video! We live near Spokane, and it's the largest city between Seattle and Minneapolis, a distance of nearly 1,400 miles. East of it, there are only a handful of mid-sized cities, and there is a LOT of empty space. There are likely more pronghorn than people in Wyoming, and most of North and South Dakota is just open prairie. Montana is the 4th largest state by area but the 43rd state in terms of population. That said, some of the greatest beauty in all the lower 48 is to be found in this region, and parts of it have been growing quickly in recent years. Probably half of northern Idaho, for instance, is made up of ex-Californians, and this is also true of Missoula and Bozeman in Montana.

[@freewill1114]

Ah yes, Missoula. Only 30 minutes from Montana.

[@mikespangler98]

Take Montana 200 from the junction with I-90 to Glendive sometime. Remember to leave Lewistown with a full tank. Don't try it with an EV.

[@johnb5254]

A city like Spokane has a milder climate than say Chicago or Boston with millions of people so it's funny when people complain about it being too cold.

[@opticalbeast4947]

This video was so informational that it has given me good ideas of places to move so I dont have to worry about hot summers, Like Cooke City in Montana seems amazing. While its over 100f right now in Mississippi, its only 78f in Cooke City.

[@alberthartl8885]

I grew up in western Minnesota not far from Fargo. I generally enjoyed it as we were on the edge of lake country. What I did not like were the mosquitoes and cool, damp windy days in fall and spring. I called it duck hunting weather.

[@seameology]

Western Minnesota not far from Fargo here as well!

[@AcuraLvR82]

During and after the covid-19 pandemic there were actually a lot of people who located to rural towns in this region, especially the Billings, MT area. People wanted to get out the densely packed cities and into a more quiet setting, all facilitated by the adoption of remote work in recent years. Even though this region will never have large urban centers, you can expect its population to actually go up in coming decades for a variety of factors.

[@mortgagedavid]

Big city is go go go with a lot of distractions, traffic, construction, protests, pollution only good things are maybe great opportunities for a job or business, outside of that rural or suburbs are the way to go, my coworker used to commute to work 2 hours each way from rural town to work in the city, my guess is limited rural jobs that pay well and more house affordability

[@stevethomson2639]

Sparse population and diverse wilderness with snowy winters.. sounds like heaven to me!

[@EthanNeal]

I've found myself living in eastern Idaho for school, but I'm originally from the South. The summers are nice, but they're pretty short and the winters are brutally cold. This winter was the first time I experienced below 0 temperatures in my life, and I gotta say, I'm not a fan. The city I work in is also the largest for 180 miles in any direction. And this is the more hospitable part of the region, too. It's nice to visit, but I do not want to live here long term. I'll take my swamps and humidity any day over this

[@ToddSauve]

I live in Calgary but grew up in Regina. If you want to see cold 0 F is not it. Try - 40 F and C, they are the same. And believe me, you will hurry back to 0 F every day of the week, and twice on Sunday. That kind of cold has to be experienced to be believed. If you don't get back inside within a not very long period of time you will be dead. Period. We had a temperature of - 57 C here in Alberta a couple of years back. That is death if you have no warm shelter. Imagine being a Plains Indian and living in a buffalo skin tent in that! Very tough people ...

[@abelb8612]

Move to the Philippine Islands, where your retirement money goes a long way.

[@Cayuse2009]

North Dakota here. When I was a kid and it was 40 below zero or even colder my Dad would say, "Well it keeps out the Rif Raf". As a side not regarding SHTF, if you set up your homestead to heat off-grid, you will outlive 90% of the population.

[@seameology]

Agree 💯 percent

[@ConradSpoke]

Your perspective is breathtaking.

[@RsSooke]

I was born and raised in the prairies in Canada, but I’ve lived in British Columbia on the coast now for almost a decade! It’s overpriced here and I could handle Alberta winters again if had to, but I love Vancouver Island.

[@Hurricane0721]

Well there is one big exception here. That’s Idaho. The region around Boise is one of the fastest growing regions in the entire country. Boise is quickly growing into more of a major city. Moreover, a lot of people who have never been to the Dakotas tend to think of the Dakotas as being two boring rectangle states. However, that is actually far from the truth. The Western Dakotas in particular is a very interesting region of the country, in my opinion. The Western Dakotas are a true gateway to the West. I mean when you see the badlands and the Black Hills in Southwestern South Dakota, then you know that you have entered the Western US.

[@twostop6895]

Lol, Idaho’s whole state population is only 2 million, the Kansas City metro area alone has 2.1 million people, Washington state has more population than Idaho Montana Wyoming and Utah combined

[@robertharley3425]

Western Nebraska is that way too.

[@mikespangler98]

US 2 across ND and MT is an underrated drive. The western part of I-94 in ND is nice too. You have Teddy Roosevelt's park just off the interstate, and the painted canyon and some unexpected badlands too.

[@FlintIronstag23]

He excludes Boise and SW Idaho in his map of the Empty North.

[@legallyfree2955]

Idaho is all full up, full of people, don't even think of moving up here ESPECIALLY if your from California, its too cold for you anyway you just stay in California and keep voting for Gavin Newsom.

[@patrickgallagher9069]

My theory on Spokane is Spokane is a haven for people who are from Montana who can't find local jobs. The get a job in Spokane, close to ones they love, hence the reason Spokane is the size it is. I used to live there.

[@chrislords_dpt]

Definitely true haha know a few people I grew up with that moved out there

[@patrickgallagher9069]

@@73v99 , well, that's true too. I suppose that's most western states.

[@dcstrng1]

Excellent video -- my wife and I grew up in North Dakota, and have lived all over from Asia to Europe, from California to the Gulf states to the eastern megalopolis... but although I work much of the year on the east coast, we still call NoDak home and maintain a house there in a town of less than a hundred folks (and, now you know why...)

[@topographic1973ify]

As a native Montanan I'm actually happy we don't have more people here. It's about double than when I was young and I feel like the current influx of people is too much, I like the empty north fairly empty.

[@johnarmstrong472]

Have you been to Calgary?

[@topographic1973ify]

@@johnarmstrong472 yes, but it's been a very long time ago.

[@johnarmstrong472]

@@topographic1973ify Your thoughts?

[@topographic1973ify]

@@johnarmstrong472 I thought it was the most sensibly laid out big city I'd been in. Liked the big museum, the planetarium, the zoo, Calgary Tower and just the overall vibe of the city. Of course, as I said, it was a long time ago so I have no idea what it's like now. That drive up there was pretty empty, too. We also went to Regina, Saskatoon, Moosejaw, Fort Q'uapelle (I'm sure I spelled that wrong) and a few other places. Lots of driving across wide open country. We've talked about going back for years but life got in the way. I have nothing but good thoughts and memories of the portion of Canada I saw. My wife has always wanted me to go to Alberta, too, which she's been to and really enjoyed.

[@Z3N1TY0]

Thank you for using my state as an example more than once :) My mom used to live in cold, rural Iowa but she’s since left and moved here

[@jackychandler8594]

Yes. I live in western Iowa a few miles from the Missouri River. If people think Iowa doesn't get bad cold, they should try winter here once. Although I'm originally from Mississippi, I've been over most of the land mass in the country. Not only does it get bad cold in western Iowa, but the wind can be horrendous dropping the windchill very low. Windchill last Feb was 51 below and 45 below the same week. That's cold no matter where U are. Actual air temp 1st yr I moved here was -32. No not in Montana. IOWA.

[@Z3N1TY0]

@@jackychandler8594 Jesus Christ. So the wind could’ve been -80… THAT ANTARCTICA SH!T. (Also my mom lived in northeast Iowa)

[@jackychandler8594]

@@Z3N1TY0 no. This past Feb we had 2 nights with horrible windchill. -51 and - 45. Those were windchill. 6 years ago it was -31 air temp without the wind, but that's bad cold either way. Western Iowa gets artic wind sometimes over 50mph. Just brutal.

[@Z3N1TY0]

@@jackychandler8594 Iowa sounds like brutal hell oh my god .

[@anthsallwonky]

This was one of my favorite areas to drive when I did my 48 states tour last year. North Dakota had some cool road side art and oddities. Montana was wild and gorgeous. Idaho. and Washington State with the contrast of the scab lands with its desert and canyon features to the towering cascades. I am glad you made a video on this area. Your channel is great and I just subscribed to your podcast too. Do you have any videos focusing on the Appalachian range. Thank you for the informative content.

[@connorculver2172]

I moved to SW Montana a couple years ago after living in Seattle for a few years and going to college in Washington. I moved for the conservative values, small population, outdoor recreation opportunities, and amazing beauty of the region. Rent and housing is becoming increasingly expensive and a lot of people are moving here from the west coast (one reason for expensive real estate market and rent here) that don't necessarily share the same values as the culture that is already established in Montana which is a problem. But moving here was still the best decision I've ever made. I'm never leaving Montana.

[@MrHotlipsholohan]

Very informative , thought it was just the climate , tks

[@marshalepage5330]

I live in St.Paul the capital of Minnesota. It use to be colder here. Over the last 5 years summers have gotten longer and winters are a little warmer. The north may become useful once things heat up from global warming.

[@marshalepage5330]

I enjoy the summers here so much that I forget to leave then it's winter and I'm like oh well I already did it.

[@marshalepage5330]

It's also easy to get ahead in life if you stay in one location and make friends and contacts with all the right people. I feel like I have the right people on my side here in Minnesota. Weather isn't as important as social contacts.

[@BadgerCheese94]

"useful." It already is useful. Last thing we need is more capitalistic exploitation of our indigenous people, land and water.

[@seeranos]

With the combination of the Empty North and the non-overlapping portions of the Empty Belt, you're looking at at least a third of the USA which is barely populated. The voting power of these senators and representatives hugely maximizes their political power in the USA.

[@williammartin6872]

Yep! And convincing them to give up that power is highly unlikely to ever happen. In California, they have 713,000 people for each of their 55 electoral votes. But in Wyoming, they have only 193,000 people for each of their 3 electoral votes, almost quadruple the voting power per capita as California. In this regard, the founding fathers were truly brilliant.

[@mrburns805]

@@williammartin6872 just wondering, why do you think that’s brilliant?

[@belugamerde3701]

All states are equal.

[@seeranos]

@@mrburns805 I believe it is sarcasm

[@seeranos]

@@belugamerde3701 In what way are they equal?

[@mIKE.TURNup]

I’m from Chicago and I just moved out of Colorado . The main reason I moved is the weather. IM DONE WITH COLD WEATHER

[@allstar2709]

Where u go

[@johnb8035]

Very similar for me, I’m from Philly and I’m about to move out CO to go to Florida. I love it here but I’m done with cold weather.

[@ron.mexico.]

Unreal video. Glad I found this channel. Thank you

[@AndrewGraves-z1o]

As a Canadian that has lived in Calgary, Edmonton and many little towns in between l, I have always wanted to visit Montana and Idaho. Always wanted to see the Snake River.

[@johnarmstrong472]

Why don't you? I'm sure there are people not far from the border in Montana that have never been to Calgary. What a huge shock they'd get!

[@FettiMagazine]

All of this open land and everybody wants to crowd into a few cities in America.

[@the_expidition427]

Peculiar

[@tituspullo9768]

Considering cities just outside the region, Minneapolis/St Paul metro area has 3 million people and a MN as a state is consistently rated as one of the top states for quality of life

[@BadgerCheese94]

Oh you betcha!

[@jje8182]

I live in sw Minnesota. Would never leave here. Cost of living is way less than anywhere else.

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

I spent a large part of my life in that empty region last century. I actually like Wyoming because of the harsh climate.