Who did not want gold? In 1848, thousands of people went through the Oregon Trail and such for the opportunity of becoming rich from mining gold. People needed a place to live, so boomtowns were developed to house this huge and quick increase in population. A population of 60,000 was required for statehood, and California had a population of over 100,000. Eventually, surrounding states' populations would increase to the point of meeting the statehood requirement.
