California is the most populated state in the U.S., and is home to eight of the nations fifty most populated cities. Beginning as early as 10,000 years ago people began settling in the state and is home to over 70 distinct Indigenous groups. If one-day California decided to be its own country then the Californian nation would be the eighth largest economy in the world and the 34^th most populous nation!

On this day September 9^th, in 1850, Utah and New Mexico become US territories, while California was accepted as the 31^st state of the U.S. The name California had been originally used to refer to the entire region composed of the Baja California of Mexico, the current US state of California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming.

After the Mexican Cession of 1848 the territories of Utah and New Mexico were transferred from Mexico to the United States. US territories were established in order to preserve the balance of power between slave states and free states when represented in Congress.