
Ideally, you'd want to be somewhere along the northern green area (lower map). 38th parallel, or thereabouts. Notice how all the Southern states northern borders divide along the 37ish longitude. Theres a reason for that, and I didn't invent maps.

Heres the climatological breakdown according to the Kloppen scale. I didn't invent that, either.

The reason is, it might get cold, but it usually doesn't experience severe cold winters. Even boat people follow these guides, to distinguish where it's climatologically reasonable to live-aboard a boat. Ice might occur, but it doesn't get super-thick. It can be avoided with bubbler systems under a boat or dock. This translates to soil, as well. It'll freeze, but you don't have to dig deep to get below the frost line.
In these areas, its potentially "better" for harvesting solar power, because of all the sunlight hours added up. It doesn't get so fuckin grey that solar panels are unfeasible for long periods.
Yes, you may have to burn
some wood, at times. But its all a matter of how much.
The dark blue is completely inhospitable, in my opinion. And those lines aren't exactly cut in stone, the area where dark blue and light blue meet aren't a breakout area where everything becomes golden.
I would rather err on the side of caution, and be comfortable in a climate that supports mild winters. Its not necessarily true that the snakes and bugs are bigger. I have big snakes here, and we get some damn cold winters.
Now! How does this translate to growing pot? Well, it kinda does. I don't want to have to work especially hard to ensure my survival, and I don't want to work especially hard to ensure the survival of outdoor plants, either.
Marijuana can, and is, grown in northern climates. Lots of people do it. But it grows better in more favorable climates. They get better sunlight, longer summers, and outdoors, severe unexpected snap-frosts can kill plants of any kind.
Ideally, I would want to have land and climate at my disposal that would grow whatever I want. Outdoor pot requires a longish growing period, with a really good mid-growth period. Any plant requires a flowering period that allows the gardener to harvest properly. Everybody knows it's better to grow "harvest" plants in a climate that has tropical qualities, where your season isn't squished into a delicate balance and calendar deadlines.
I suppose those personal requirements don't exactly fall into the "legal" part of this thread, exactly. But they're not entirely pointless concerns, either. I have a personal preference, and would like to grow outdoors, legally. Without using power and expensive equipment, that's how I'd like to produce any shit I personally consume.
It disappoints me that in that "green zone", there are no legal states where I could live my life the way I want. I don't want to sacrifice all my other personal desires just because of where I can legally grow dope. I think it's pretty shitty thats how my personal choices checkmate themselves.