Nudist community

Families swimming at a naturist resort in France

A nudist community (or in Europe, naturist community) is an intentional community comprising nudists/naturists who choose to live together on a permanent basis where it is understood that no clothes will be worn.

The term nudist colony was once a term for nudist communities, especially among non-nudists, but is eschewed by most nudists/naturists due to negative connotations that became associated with the term. There are two objections to the term: the term nudist is not used by European naturists—it connotes a lack of the family-oriented cooperative philosophy, though this connotation does not seem to apply in North America, and the word colony is politically connected with imperialism and authoritarianism, and in such terms as leper colony—by implication, a place for undesirables. It is different in Francophone communities. In France, many communes invested in landed sites by the sea for summer recreation both by adults and children. These were named "colonie des vacances". Most French school children would spend a week or more each summer at a colonie, which are in many ways analogous to the American summer camp. The international links within naturism explain how the term arose.

Modern naturist resorts, camps and parks often cater to vacationers and/or day visitors and thus may not have a community of naturists who live on site on a permanent basis (other than possibly the owners/operators). Such places that cater to families all demand an International Naturist Federation (INF) card as identification and have child protection policies. Common activities in nudist/naturist centres include swimming and tennis or miniten.

A related concept is a naturist village, such as the one at Cap d'Agde or the CHM Montalivet, which has permanent residents. It is also known as a naked village.

See also

• Nude recreation