I live in a city that isn't really known for tech jobs as well. Things are getting better, but freelancing around here is a tough business. The reason is that there aren't enough careers available for developers yet. So there a lot of people trying to pick up freelance work. I couldn't risk going into personal financial troubles due to a lack of work, so I just do web stuff on the side. Most of my work comes via word-of-mouth recommendations from people I've worked with in the past.

One thing I still do is I always carry business cards around with me. Even when I'm @ the bar or somewhere. I keep 5-6 tucked in my wallet. I've met people at social places and got into career conversations and ended up giving them a card, then a friend of theirs or something calls me a week later.