It's more than just difficult driving conditions, particularly in the more rural northern half of the state. Residents tend to get mentally brittle by the end of winter, which typically spans from November through April around Lake Superior.
We lived there for about 5 years until my wife finally had enough of winter and demanded we move back to lllinois.
I convinced her that it was unusual for there to be more than 5 feet of snow on the ground and for it to be -25⁰F and we should just stick it out until spring.
The very next year it had snowed 7 feet and our garage was literally buried under a mountain of accumulated snow and we had to park in the street until late April.
That February, a brutal cold snap kept us below 0⁰F for two weeks straight, with the temperature sometimes dropping below -35⁰F. It was actually dangerous to go outside for more than a few minutes without completely layering up with clothes and wearing proper artic gear.
The wife abruptly took our daughter and left. She stayed at my folks house in Illinois until I could find a new job and a place for us to live and rejoin her.
The cold and snow beat her up so bad that she literally couldn't take it anymore and had to leave.
Lots if my friends there resort to various mechanisms for coping. For some, it involves drinking alcohol every day. Others simply leave for warmer climates until spring. The ones who seem to do the best, are the ones who make a priority of socializing with others in the community on a weekly basis, despite the snow and cold. They find ways to meet somewhere accessible to all and participate in some group activity that usually involves food and beverage, but no alcohol.
There are other, more creative ways that I've seen for area residents to keep from going nuts in the winter, but I won't detail them here.
