They've quietly been adding features to their search for almost a year now. I'm not sure if the latest has rolled out everywhere, but the following appears to be working for me
In the left-hand column, they've added selection of just the the categories you want to search.
Below that is "all, owner, or dealer"
Below that, if you check "include nearby areas" a drop-down appears
that shows the regions around the one you are currently in.
To do a whole state:
[1] pick a CL region in the approx center of the state and go to it.
Raleigh works for NC.
[2] Enter your search term, select the categories you want to search, try it and fine-tune it. When you get it to your satisfaction
[3] Then check "include nearby areas"
[4] **CONTINUE TO CHECK** "+ show X more..." at the bottom of that drop-down section until it is fully expanded and indicates no more available.
[5] Check all regions in the state
[6] Search and add it to your browser bookmarks
Below is all of NC for soapstone stoves
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/search/sso?query=%2Bsoapstone%7C%22soap+stone%22+%2Bheater%7Cfireplace%7Cwoodstove%7Cstove+-remnant&excats=7-13-22-2-24-1-23-1-1-1-1-2-3-6-10-1-1-1-2-2-8-1-1-1-1-1-8-5-1-1-1-38-2-2-2-2-2-2&searchNearby=2&nearbyArea=171&nearbyArea=446&nearbyArea=41&nearbyArea=335&nearbyArea=328&nearbyArea=273&nearbyArea=61&nearbyArea=462&nearbyArea=634&nearbyArea=336&nearbyArea=274&nearbyArea=711&nearbyArea=272
Using the left menu negates the dropdown menu bar that you might have used at the top of the CL page **BUT** it will continue to show in error. In the search above, it will show "raleigh >for sale >all" across the top even though the left menu is now set to "by owner" and multi-region. Just ignore it. It's only good for showing the region you used as the root or starter.
Very nice! Will be using this on my next hunting spree.
If you're using Chrome, there is an rss feed extension that will list any new ads matching your CL search on a scheduled downloading interval of every X minutes.
Be aware that CL holds back the rss feed by an hour or more, so if it's a popular item the 'live' searches are going to beat you.
Chrome RSS extension:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/rss-feed-reader/pnjaodmkngahhkoihejjehlcdlnohgmp