It appears most American beeks go with wood hives. North of Ohio, most of the books suggest some form of winter protection. You can do that by simply putting some foam around your wood hive if you like. Most of my hives are made from polystyrene, but I do have a few woodies left. The woodies can survive Michigan cold, even un-insulated ones. However I find I get better yields and less work for me with insulated hives (wood + foam, or just foam).
Tbeek is/was in north western WI. You might do a search for some of his posts about wintering up there. It definitely gets cold up there!