You're right, and not just rural areas. Flagstaff, AZ (pop. ~70,000, and double that in the metro area) has colder average lows than NYC during the winter, and

You're right, and not just rural areas. Flagstaff, AZ (pop. ~70,000, and double that in the metro area) has colder average lows than NYC during the winter, and several times more snow. It's the closest major(-ish) town to the Grand Canyon, which is about 75 miles away.