Back then, they didn't have to venture very far from home. No one commuted. Suburbs didn't exist. You wouldn't find development in the mountains like you would in Coquitlam. Cities in the mountains were built on flat spots in the mountains - for example, Chur in the Swiss Alps
There were exceptions of course, but this is typical of life back then
Society was completely different back then. It wasn't as simple as not having lights or having to walk around in the snow.