Founded in 1871 as the town of Union and renamed Cumberland in 1894, the town was the site of several productive coal mines until the last one closed in 1966. Cumberland was also the site of a large Chinese community as well as small Japanese and black settlements.
Today Cumberland is known world-wide as a premier mountain biking destination. It's 5,000 residents include many artists and musicians as well as three bike shops, several restaurants, a brewery, a museum and many hiking trails through the forests and wetlands surrounding the village.