While its true that the west has many more acres of National Forest and BLM lands the east is still literally packed with hundreds of dispersed camping areas where you can camp in organized pullouts with fire rings or pullouts with nothing at all.
I have been in KY for the last 8 years since moving here from California. I have never camped in an rv park in all that time.
I have camped all over Tennessee North Carolina West Virginia Virginia Kentucky New Hampshire Maine and never once stayed in a an organized campground with hook ups or Ranger Rick.
New Hampshire has fantastic dispersed camping areas with no fees of any kind. North Carolina also has many of these areas. Ditto all the rest that I have mentioned.
I would only stay in an organized campground as an utter last resort.
If you are in the west the choices are mind boggling.
Urban camping is not boondocking, and I would only do it if I was desperate.