HOA’s are prominent in the US because they and the restrictive covenants imposing them were a way to replace de jure public racial discrimination and segregation with technically-private-but-legally-durable racial and cultural discrimination. The explicit racial aspect has since been made legally unavailable, but they remain a tool to enforce outward cultural conformity, which has a strong racial valence.

Or they provide for maintenance of the common areas (mowing, plowing) and maybe some minor amenities. Or the houses are basically built into a country club.

I find that the places where there are insane HOAs are just as insane in the houses that aren't under HOAs.

> Or they provide for maintenance of the common areas

HOAs do that, yes, but that's not why they are so pervasive in the US, even in non-condominium style developments, and intrusive in their government of what goes on in non-common areas.

I think you'll find that they're vastly different in different parts of the USA.

Around here you have Zillow reporting "HOA dues: $25/yr" and similar.

I’m not sure what point you think Zillow reporting the current dues amount makes one way or another about the historical reason they are so prevalent.

Pretty sure that's what Zillow does anywhere where there are HOA dues, sure.