Re: States

I think a key issue was that in the Walternate Universe, Andrew Jackson was never president. Without that thrust of populism, the US would have been lacking in two key events: The rise of Sam Houston and Jackson's pseduo-Genocidal attitude towards Native Americans. Without Sam Houston, Texas would have been lacking in a central political figure, leading to the state being fractured. Without a strong independent Texas, the clamoring for war against Mexico would have been distinctly weaker. Combine this with lessened sense of Manifest Destiny that would come from a less murdery attitude towards Indians, and one can imagine weaker push Westward, especially with Mexico there to oppose it. This would explain how Mexico keeps the California coast.

Furthermore, that weakened sense would also explain why it is Southern British Columbia and not Washington. After all, without a sense of "54 40 or Fight!" the US would be less likely to give that territory the jingoistic name of Washington.

As for Midland, my pre-Civil War history knowledge is failing me without resorting to Wikipedia, but one can extrapolate such weakened populism into a weaker South, meaning no need for a slave state/free state balance. Or perhaps the North Texas/South Texas status threw off the balancing math. Either way, without Kansas, there would be no pre-Civil War Burning Kansas. Combine this with the pre-assumed weaker South, and one can foresee a populace more hospitable to a central Federal government, and civil rights, after the Civil War. Therefore, there would not be the anti-government and anti-civil rights forces and led to the assassinations of MLK Jr. and JFK.

I'm surprised they didn't do anything with Mormon history in Utah, perhaps using the Utah War as a jumping point for different names for western states or some such. Maybe Independent Nevada has something to do with that?

OH! And I just noticed that the Michigan northern peninsula is part of Canada. I don't know what would lead to that.

Anyways, I should wrap up.