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Cumberland, Maine is a quaint small-town located on the coast of Southern Maine. It’s conveniently located 11 miles northeast of the city of Portland and 11 miles southwest of Freeport. The Town was incorporated on March 19, 1821, which came after a successful secession effort by the residents of the northwestern section of the town of North Yarmouth. The Town was officially named by Ephraim Sturdivant, a ship Captain and the Town’s First Treasurer. Today, Cumberland is home to approximately 7,900 residents, with the majority living here year round.
Cumberland has a rich farming history, with Sweetser’s Apple Barrel & Orchards and Spring Brook Farms, among some of the original agriculture operations that still remain a vital part of our community. Since 1868, the town’s local farmers club has put on The Cumberland Fair at the end of September, which is one of the state's largest agricultural fairs.
Cumberland prides itself on being community-oriented as well as one of the safest places to live in Maine. Every year the town comes out on Memorial Day to hold a parade through the center of town to honor those who have served for our country. It has many outdoor recreational facilities, such as Twin Brook, the Town Forest, Knight’s Pond Preserve, Broad Cove Reserve, Rines Forest, and West Cumberland Athletic Complex. In the summertime, residents are able to enjoy an outdoor concert series from local musicians and in the winter snowshoe, cross country ski, or skate at the town’s various recreational facilities.
The town has three distinct areas: Cumberland Center, Cumberland Foreside, and West Cumberland. Cumberland Center is the center of government and education, and is situated roughly in the geographical middle of the town’s boundaries. Cumberland is home of the MSAD #51 school district that provides education to students K-12. The school district is comprised of Cumberland & North Yarmouth residents and has three schools: Mable I. Wilson Elementary School, Greely Middle School, and Greely High School. The school system is consistently ranked as one of the best in the state of Maine. The center of town has a convenience store, several cafés, a library, an automotive shop, credit union, and post office, all within walking distance of each other.
Cumberland Foreside is the town’s coastal mainland area, where residents have public waterfront access at Broad Cove Reserve. The Route 1 corridor, although not directly on the coast, is part of the Foreside, and is today the fastest growing commercial zone within the town.
West Cumberland, centered on the Route 100 corridor in the northwest corner of the town, today hosts two commercial districts, and is home to a variety of small businesses ranging from a drive-thru coffee stop, spa, automotive shops, restaurants, greenhouse, and veterinarian office.
