I've lived in both the south and north. I grew up in Louisiana and I can remember how school would get canceled at the first sign or snow or ice. I now live in Michigan where we usually have snow from late nov thru the beginning of march.
Driving can be difficult, especially when there's black ice on the roads or during a white out on the highway, but it isn't so bad once you get use to it especially when you get to spend the summer months on the beaches of Lake Michigan.
That being said, I can't wait to start driving my '02 vert again. I've been driving my old winter car since Nov.