Sure, Craigslist is how I first broke into the industry.
I learned how to code through codeacademy and just tinkering on some projects, then started to go to Craigslist looking for random tech/programming jobs to see how viable it was. And there were in fact many programming jobs ranging from beginner computer jobs for random people needing help to companies needing short-term or irregular contract work. There are also many normal job postings looking for beginner/intermediate/experienced programmers located in the city too.
The best part about craigslist though is the informalness of the dialogue. I would just send each poster a few sentences saying basically I'm a programmer in the local area who knows html, css javascript php, etc. And here are a few of the projects I have worked on (list my own sites). Some postings require a bit more elaboration but usually not by much. This means it's easy to apply to several very quickly. It's a numbers game at the end of the day.
Also, it's possible to apply to jobs from all the local cities or really wherever. Some will require you be local, but most can be done remotely (phone calls, skype etc.).
After a while you begin building up a list and portfolio of clientele and basically keep taking progressively higher paying gigs while substituting out the lower paying ones.