@lovingthebeachlife - I'm not surprised. As I mentioned, in bigger cities, fences are more common. LA is a place people would need to define their space. You'll see fences/gates in all the bigger cities. Many of the smallest towns/cities have urban areas with fences/gates but as you move away from the center, things are more open.
As you mention, there is the idea that someone could just walk up and look in your windows but my experience is that it rarely, if ever happens. I think that there are a few reasons for this. One is that most people are just busy living their lives. Another is that most US properties are very exposed and there is nowhere to hide so anyone peeping in windows will clearly be doing that in front of all passers-by. Despite the lack of fences, it's clear to locals where the property lines are. Someone looking in windows would be very obvious. Even if there's no fence, that would clearly be trespassing and the homeowner would call the police, they would come and the homeowner could press charges.
And it is REALLY normal to ride the bus to school - more normal to do that then not. Most children go to county schools and they are out on the street corners early in the morning to catch the 'big yellow cheese wagon'. Likewise, it brings them home in the afternoons. So children ride the bus with their peers for YEARS!! Bus driving does not pay well and the bus drivers are often just scraping by.
Best places to visit:
Southern east coast beaches will blow your mind. Outer Banks is a series but those beaches are real. The sand is soft and the water is fresh for miles and miles and miles. I've enjoyed many summer holidays as a Brit wife but I've not been to a European beach that compares.
New Orleans - is like Oz and everywhere else is just Kansas ... Everyone living in NO is glad they live there and wouldn't move elsewhere even if paid (cf Barcelona - the rest of Spain is just Kansas ...)
US cities are fun if you like cities. Some are bigger than others. They all have museums, restaurants and bars.
@Loveinbloom , despite the internet, there's still not much to do of a morning and definitely not on Sundays when most places are closed in the morning (b/c everyone is in church, natch) if not all day. It is still a day of rest and a day for families outside the big cities. Sunday dinner (at midday/after church) is just as much a thing in the US as it is in the UK. Lots of states have Sunday opening laws so even if you live in a big city, things are not open.
Church is a place to meet friends and something to do. If you listen to/read interviews with US pop stars, especially the older ones, most of them got their start singing/playing with the church choir... It's hard to make clear how isolated rural areas are - there really is NOTHING to do for 10miles plus and no public transport so no way to go anywhere. (public transport in patchy even in big cities)