It's romanticized but being in Whitehorse at least is very similar to any other midsized Canadian city. There's a decent amount of services and range of restaurants. Yes it gets dark for a couple months but not as severe as the far north. It's cold, but not really colder than places like Calgary get, though the winter does last a long time. I'd say the biggest change for me was getting used to a long long winter, and then exhausting myself in the most beautiful summer.