A private street is not necessarily something glamorous. I live in a small townhouse community and our HOA owns a small street.

Why I say it's not glamorous is because we have to come up with ~$100,000 in the next 10-15 years to do major pavement replacement (not resurfacing or sealcoating), because this street is not maintained by the county. For a small townhouse community that has not been properly saving for major capital expenses like this, this is not fun.

Yes. I'm not objecting to the concept of putting asphalt on land you own.

What I find weird is the concept of "the only access to your own home is someone else's private street".

No. In most places I have lived in the USA, streets are not only public property but they regulate what can be placed within so many feet of the side of the road. So basically, they restrict your land use next to a road, even if you own the property. This is so they can add a sidewalk or expand the road at some point in the future.