[QuinnWilton]

I'd guess because if someone is building something in their free time they're likely to build it either using whatever technology is most fun for them, or using whichever framework they're most excited to learn.

For most frontend devs that's going to mean something a little bit more exciting than a static site.

[avmich]

Yes, I understand that if you're mostly doing (at work) these things this way, you may be inclined to do the same way your own project.

That doesn't mean you can't do better - and for some people "better" can be without JS, for many reasons, including convenience of end users. By now it's probably also an interesting challenge - create a good, but straightforward (i.e., "simple") no-JS page.