I don't think that I will ever understand why anyone chooses to live where it snows and gets that cold.
California is far from perfect but it sure is comfortable.
It's easy to find someone here that does snow plowing, even I do it on the side. That's how we make money when it's cold. If someone has enough plow account to stay busy for 8-12 hours of the day, then on a good season they can make big bucks.