Check out the Baaken shale region of ND. It was the only bright spot during the recession and is a bit of a throwback to more independent times. ND should feel like the tropics ;-)
ND is actually colder than Alberta normally. The Rocky Mountains help us here a bit. When I was posted with 2PPCLI in Winnipeg, it was extremely cold.
I did date a cop from Twin Cities in MN before when I was a young soldier, and I’ve driven though those areas, it was chilly.
Fortunately, my ancestors were vikings, I can probably tolerate it.