I think you are right about the depression. I live in a smallish seaside town and I am not great in winter anyway. Am literally 2 minutes from the cliff top and I can hear the sea when I open the back door. The location is fabulous but it's a bus or train ride to anything I'd call civilisation.
Of course now my son is in college I have no options about living here for at least the next 3 years. He loves it here too and he's been moved around a lot so I am glad he has settled here. His brother finds it too quiet despite being autistic and I think he will go and live in the city with his siblings eventually. My absolute dream is to live in Berlin. I love the place. I literally cry when I see it on TV or the news and I went 7 times in the past 15 months. It's not on the cards yet tho.