Dunsmuir, Cumberland's main street.

Cumberland - known locally as the "Village by the Forest" - is nestled at the foot of the Beaufort Mountain Range about 10 km inland of the east coast of Vancouver Island. Cumberland, along with the city of Courtenay, the town of Comox, and the unincorporated settlements of Royston, Union Bay, Fanny Bay, Black Creek and Merville are collectively referred to as the Comox Valley.

History

In 1852, coal was discovered in the area of the Comox Valley that was to become Cumberland.

A few years later a group of prospectors, drawn by the Provincial Government's offer of 100 acres of coal land for every $1,000 invested in coal development, organized the Union Company, from which the early settlement took it's first name - Union.

By 1891 a large volume of high grade coal was being mined at Union and being delivered the short distance by rail to the east coast of Vancouver Island at a point around which the community of Union Bay began to grow.

As the settlement near the mining site grew, Union was renamed Cumberland, after the coal rich English County, and was incorporated in 1897.

Although coal mining petered out in the middle of the 20th century, much remains of the community's mining heritage, the history of which is amply reflected by the Cumberland Museum .    

Travel

The Inland Island Highway ( BC highway #19 ) which connects the Comox Valley with Nanaimo and Victoria to the south, and to Campbell River to the north, runs through the outskirts of Cumberland.

The BC Ferries terminal at Little River on the Comox Peninsula connects Vancouver Island to Powell River on the BC Mainland.

Comox Regional Airport (YQQ) is the arrival point for direct flights from Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton.

BC Transit operates a local bus service connecting Cumberland with the rest of the Comox Valley.


The Comox Valley has something for everyone: culture, scenic beauty, numerous outdoor recreational opportunities, mild climate and a relaxed lifestyle are all here to enjoy.