May 6 marks World Naked Gardening Day, an international day of tending to one’s tulips and begonias in nothing but one’s birthday suit. Perhaps there truly is a day for everything, and Naked Gardening Day may be a bigger deal in Atlanta than you’d think.
Lawncare company LawnStarter recently compared the 200 largest U.S. cities based on nudist population size, indecent exposure laws, gardening friendliness, weather forecasts, access to waxing salons and a number of other metrics. With data in tow, the company organized rankings for 2023′s best cities for enjoying some naked gardening for the upcoming holiday.
Atlanta took home the number 3 spot among the nation’s top cities. Georgia’s capital earned high marks for local interest, ranking third in average monthly Google searches for World Naked Gardening Day. It also earned top marks for the toplessness-related laws within the state, despite public indecency being a misdemeanor on first offense. With a forecasted temperature between 65 degrees and 85 degrees, Atlanta earned high marks for the day’s weather as well. Atlanta also ranked third for most nudists per 100,000 residents.
Georgia’s next highest ranking city was Macon, which placed much lower at 66th. Augusta earned the 73rd spot, with Savannah earning the 90th spot and Columbus ranking in 92nd.
Just above Atlanta, Austin, Texas took, the second highest spot and Miami, Florida, was ranked as the best city in the country for nude gardening.
LawnStarter’s report did come with a few caveats: Most notably, it is important that gardeners know their local laws before attempting any nude gardening outdoors. Public indecency is illegal in Atlanta, and a first offense is a misdemeanor.
“This year marks the third time LawnStarter has ranked America’s biggest cities on naked gardening-friendliness, and it turns out Uncle Sam is still a bit of a prude,” the company reported. “Not much has changed in the legal landscape when it comes to public nudity.
“As mentioned earlier, exposing more than your green thumb outside your home is generally not allowed in the U.S. However, an actual violation depends on a prosecutor’s interpretation of “indecent exposure,” a fuzzy nether region of the law. The language used around this topic in many state laws is vague and mostly targets those who are intentionally lewd.”
LawnStarter consequently only ranked the highest ranked cities as friendly to nudists.
“So, although many more cities technically allow a Full Monty outdoors, we credited only a handful of cities that news and legal information sources have singled out as ‘nudist-friendly,’” the company reported. “They include Seattle, the birthplace of World Naked Gardening Day and home to the holiday’s cofounder Mark Storey.”
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