Urbanization is the movement of people from the rural areas or countryside to urban centres or cities.

• In 1861, only 16.6% of Quebec's total population lived in urban centres.
• By 1901, the percentage of people living in urban centres in Quebec jumped to almost 40%.
• In 1861, Montreal's population was 90, 323. Forty years later, Montreal's population had tripled.

Causes for Urbanization industrialization - as more and more industries were established in urban centres more people came looking for jobs and a better standard of living  a surplus of labour in the rural areas  Social Consequences of Rapid Urbanization inadequate and overcrowded housing illiteracy, poverty, pollution, and poor sanitation  disease and high childhood mortality rates