Why are there so few large metropolitan areas in the Rockies as ...

[joesmith1212]

Why are there so few large metropolitan areas in the Rockies as compared to other North American regions such as the Great LakesCorn Belt region?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

What factors accounted for population growth in the Rocky Mountain region from the mid 19th century up to the arrival of retiree migrants and recreationists in more recent years?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

[rnehls]

Answer to Question 1

The Rockies are a mountain range, and so there are few large relatively flat areas to build on that also have adequate resources, such as water, and transportation routes to support large cities.

Answer to Question 2

In the early period, people were coming to get jobs in mining, forestry, and ranching. In the later period of migrations, a large number of Latinos were moving to the region along with young job-seekers looking to take advantage of the lucrative job market of the region. There were also tourists, or recreationalists, looking to take advantage of the resorts, national parks, forests, and wilderness areas.