Ebbie,

I think you hit on something important,
that is a sense of community.
You have to provide your own entertainment
on those cold long winter nights and rainy days.
And there are few distractions of the big city.

I was in Juneau about 10 years ago on a rainy spring day
(it seemed like all the days were rainy!).
Walking through town, it seemed that there was
some sort of little festival going on,
every gallery, shop, cafe, etc. had some sort of live music and art
and it was a great way to get out of the rain,
meet people and enjoy the arts and culture.

Cheers, S. in Seattle