Because in the south there was more segregation. Also there was more land that had been untouched in the north. The property was also cheaper because of that reason. And since it was untouched a lot of businesses came in to drill for oil and other natural resources, which created the need for workers.
As a result of the fur trade in the 1500s, American Indians began to have a growing influence on the French traders in the region, which eventually led to conflicts with Britain and the colonists.