1. Life in the big cities of the east was often discouraging, so many families pulled up stakes and moved west to California.
2. There aren’t many people left in this town. Almost everyone is pulling up stakes and moving someplace where they can find a job and make a better living.

This express originated during the 1700s with pioneers moving westward through the United States seeking land to settle on. To claim a portion of land for themselves, the settlers would mark the boundaries of the land with stakes (wood). If they later decided to move and give up claim to the land, they would literally pull up the stakes marking the boundaries. It is often used to describe a sense of abandonment, of leaving one’s land behind because one has fallen on hard times.