deserts:TOO DRY!
Mountains:sometimes cold,dry.
Mountains can limit access to resources and hinder transportation, resulting in isolated communities and limited agricultural land. Deserts present challenges due to scarcity of water and extreme temperatures, making agriculture difficult and necessitating reliance on oases or specific adaptations for settlement. Both environments require specialized knowledge and skills for human survival and development.
People usually settle where there is good climate, good soil, and water. People will settle near rivers but cataracts, mountains, and deserts will prove barriers to settlers.
That is uncommon because mountains are sometimes mostly snow in winter and don't have any flat places to settle. It is also not very fertile.
Maroons settled in the mountains for safety and protection from European colonizers and slave catchers. The rugged terrain made it difficult for their pursuers to track them, allowing them to establish autonomous communities away from plantations. Additionally, the mountains provided natural resources for survival and defense.
no
yes in case it was
A lot of Scottish settled in the Appalachian mountains.
west
Appalachian Mountains
because it has less rain
New places to settle.
Settlers settle places. That is their purpose.