I find that in the greater Boston area, it feels like people have become less "hardy" as compared to when I was a kid. I remember several horrific rides home on a school bus, in blizzards, because school wasn't cancelled, then they decided to let us out early. We used to sled down the street for at least a day after a storm, because it wasn't plowed that well. I am pretty sure it's due to better weather forecasting. This year, the forecasts have been extremely accurate. People get to prepare and schools make decisions earlier. The roads are plowed rather quickly, at least in the areas where I drive. Of course, right now, we are just running out of room to put the snow.
Learning to drive in the snow at age 37 was perhaps one of the scariest things I've done. I used to work 40 miles from home at one point, and I had many horrible drives that took 2 hours. I don't drive in the snow, unless I really have to. I cancelled my clients on Tuesday; no one would come to begin with, and Wednesday, the clinic was closed. Even though i have had an AWD car since 1992, and I know what to do, I avoid it if I can.