The more obvious reason is that colder places do not get as many freeze-thaw cycles. It simply stays frozen for a few months. In contrast, much of the northeast experiences many more freeze-thaw cycles since even in the winter it is warm enough to thaw the ice on some days.
Cold places see a lot of freeze-thaw cycles in fall and spring - before and after the hard freeze. I don't know how they compare, but it isn't clear cut.
In the case of Minnesotan, I think the need to stay on top of maintenance has led to the adoption of higher tech monitoring and better processes in general, just out of such extreme need (and lots of practice).
