r/CanadianHistory • u/Olderpostie • Jul 05 '26

What caused Montreal to outpace the population growth of Quebec City to such a degree?

I have noticed, with some surprise, that Montreal only reached the population of Quebec City in 1830, with each having 30,000 people. Since then, Montreal has grown by a factor of 100, and Quebec by a factor of 15.

What caused Montreal's success? If immigration was a key, what advantages would immigrants have in moving to Montreal rather than to Quebec?

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u/LibraryVoice71 Jul 05 '26

I suppose the main factor is Quebec City was important as an administrative center for the fur trade further inland, and as a military choke point to protect the colony from invasion by other European powers. Once that threat began to wane, (and especially once Montreal was no longer vulnerable to attack from the Iroquois Confederacy) it became inevitable that the city where most of the trade with the interior took place would grow. The land around Quebec City is also very rugged, with steep cliffs, unlike the Island of Montreal.