Given your situation and concerns, I'd say look into a model with traction control just to have that added safety net. Any car could still get away from you even when you're being careful, so it couldn't hurt to have it, and you can always turn it off when the weather's nice.
I wouldn't let snow scare you away from buying one and driving it in DC...you're originally from up north, so you know what to expect. One of the deciding factors for you may have to be where you'll be living, as suggested by someone earlier. The car's about 4 inches off the ground so you'll want to be able to clear any residual/poorly plowed/unplowed snow in the street if you don't live on a main drag.