The term summer colony is often used, particularly in the United States, to describe well-known resorts and upper-class enclaves, typically located near the ocean, lakes, or mountains of New England, the Northeast United States, or the Great Lakes.

While some have roots in the 18th Century, many began in the 19th Century with the development of railroads and steamships and expanded with the invention of the automobile. During the summers, if the family could afford it, the mother and children of a family would escape the heat of cities and spend "the season" in cooler climates, especially if the family owned a "summer cottage". This is called "summering". The father would often work in the city during the week and take the train, steamship, or car to the "summer cottage" after work on Friday, returning to city in time for Monday morning. He would also spend his two-week vacation at the summer place, as close to Labor Day or July 4th as his seniority at his job allowed. Those fathers without 9-to-5 jobs might spend the entire summer with his wife and children at the summer colony. The less affluent would only spend their one- or two-week vacation away from the city, often renting a room or a cottage at a summer resort or renting a stand-alone summer cottage for the one or two weeks. They would often rent the same cottage for the same two weeks a year. This pattern started to decline in the last quarter of the 20th Century as people work, social, and family patterns changed, as people became wealthier, and as travel became cheaper.

Many of these historic communities are considered quiet bastions of old money, though some, such as The Hamptons, are now well known for their celebrity-driven social scenes. Additionally, their economies tend to be driven largely by this tourist trade, particularly those communities that are remote or on islands. Some summer colonies within sufficient proximity to an urban center, such as Lake Bluff, Illinois or Denville, New Jersey, may eventually become a year-round commuter town, while retaining the original character.

In Canada, the term cottage country is often preferred.

• Lake Minnetonka

• Lake of the Ozarks

Listed from north to south:

Listed from north to south:

• Seabrook*

Rosario Resort and Spa, Orcas Island, was a hangout for John Wayne. The Wayne family's summers were often spent in the waters off the Pacific Northwest coast, from Seattle to the San Juans.^[4]

• Baguio

• Hill station
• Summer capital
• Country estate
• Social season