Cumberland, KY

Cumberland is a Harlan County home rule-class city at the meeting of Looney Creek and the Poor Fork of the Cumberland River. Settled in 1837 as Poor Fork, the community took its present name as the coal era connected the valley to railroads and surrounding towns. Pine Mountain rises to the north, and the river valley gives the city a long, narrow setting between wooded slopes.

Kingdom Come State Park sits above Cumberland on Pine Mountain, with a lake, trails, rock formations, camping, and an amphitheater. Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College's Cumberland Campus adds classrooms, workforce programs, and the annual Kingdom Come Swappin' Meetin' to the local calendar. The city also provides a lending library and the everyday services of a mountain valley center. Pine Mountain also shapes the skyline, weather, and routes above town through the seasons. Cumberland is an eastern Kentucky town where coal history, a community college, and a high-elevation park meet above the Poor Fork.