At the top of the state page is the hyperlink with the members list info, by state/location (eg, United States, Colombia, etc).
In this case, RI: http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/profiles2?m=member-list;location=87
Again, this is set by individual members at their preference from their HOMEPAGE self-set info (stressing that is under individual control).
Problem is, you have obsessive posters like seekthetruth who think they alone have the only important information on FR, then spams *every* State message board, not just his/her State of Residence.
A lot of Freepers don’t want dozens of messages wasting their time every day so they remove their State flag.
Compare Rhode Island and Florida message boards for an example.
Ever notice how one person ruins things for everyone else?