It looks like there was an attempt to divide California along 36°30' back in 1850 into a free and a slave state. Let's say it worked, and we have two Californias (and for the sake of argument, include Baja in Southern California). How do you think these two states would develop over the next century and a half?
A rough guess: North California goes in for gold mining, while Southern Californians begin agriculture with their slaves, but the Civil War brings the influx to a halt. SoCal secedes along with the Arizona Territory, but Northern California and Nevada send in Union troops to occupy the state. After the war, SoCal brings in more agricultural workers for its north, getting into grapes and wine production, while the peninsula develops more slowly. After the second World War, tourism begins, and with the introduction of the highways down to the southernmost point in the western US, and begins to slowly develop towns for eco-tourism. The small town of Los Angeles fails to gain the aqueduct for growth, with Owens Lake remaining full of water to this day, and Lone Pine has grown to a respectable size of 142,000 with lake tourism. A number of movie studios have a presence in San Bernardino, and Disneyland in the outskirst of San Diego is a major attraction.
How do you think the two Californias would develop?