^ from living up in the twin cities for a couple years, i'd agree with you that "winter toughness" is a point of pride amongst the citizenry. it was cool to see a whole city just man-up and strap on a pair and just deal with it.
in chicago we seem to have 3 main types of winter people:
1. people that deal with winter straight-on and find a way to enjoy it whether they like it or not. - these people are cool. these are the real-deal chicagoans. my kinda town, my kinda people.
2. people who bitch about winter incessantly for several months in a row. - why the hell do you live in chicago if all you're gonna do is whine and moan about the weather ALL THE TIME? friggin move already, you are not now, nor will you ever be, a true chicagoan. winter exists to put hair on your chest, but if you can't hack it, then you can't hack it. stop pretending and leave.
3. half the people now living in phoenix. - i don't understand these people at all, but i can at least respect them for moving far, far away so that i don't have to listen to their non-stop bitching and whining.