It made steel more cost effective
The major industry would be ranching
The Dust Bowl Days is your answer
The Dust Bowl was a period in history known for the destruction of the plain lands (Central USA and westward), which led to large amounts of people to go to California in hopes of starting a new life.
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In a base summary, the democrats are less traditional then the republicans. Like gun laws are more restrictive for the left, abortions are more lenient with left, and drugs (like marijuana specifically) are more lenient, with more major ones wanting to be illegal but punished with rehabilitation. The right believes in the enforcement of the second amendment and is more against gay marriage shown by theyre states being some of the last to allow gay marriages. Hope this helps :D