Well, ......we leave EVERYTHING unlocked over here too. We're all "packing" either concealed or open, there is NO crime to speak off, the temperature is in the 60s at this time of the year (40s at night), wild life is abundant, my property has 47 miles of Indian Reservation on one side, and 50 miles of BLM land on the other. There is one of the oldest rivers on the planet in my back yard, and my boat and jet ski tied to my dock. On the other side of the river is California, and different rules.
Downside?
90 minute drive to the nearest social life and shoping (groceries excluded). 2 hours to Phoenix, 2,5 hours to Vegas, and 3,5 hours to L.A. But why drive? There is a half mile landing strip on the property, and a Cessna 310 in the hangar, so cut these times by a third (including the preflight and/or fueling). Cabs in Vegas are cheap and abundant, and a quick dinner trip, with some shoping is easy enough.
Upside?
47 miles of Indian Reservation, with a good (and tacky!) road, over which the Highway Patrol does not have jurisdiction! I ride this road in my K1200RS up to 150 mph, and as soon as the X5 is "broken in", we'll find out what it can do. Oh,...Tribal Police does not have the radars, and they don't care how fast you drive, as long as you stay on the road. They get nervous when they see people off road with metal detectors and shovels (the Rez is full of gold!)

And for the end,.....if you never saw the desert sky at night,....you've never seen the stars!

Like I said before,....you have the beauty of the North, but the Southwest has its charms too.