The switchover process in Whitehaven started at 2am, and at 3:27am 20 Freeview channels and 10 radio stations began broadcasting.
Last month, BBC Two's analogue signal was turned off, and the rest of the terrestrial channels followed in the early hours of this morning.
The switch to digital means that around 25,000 households in Whitehaven now need Freeview, satellite, cable or broadband in order to watch television.
Whitehaven was selected as the first community to have its analogue signal switched off ahead of the rest of the UK by the end of 2012.
The next area to switch over to digital will be the Scottish Borders in November 2008, followed by the West Country, Wales and Granada starting in 2009.
Ford Ennals, chief executive of Digital UK the organisation overseeing digital switchover, said: "This is a big day for the area and for television in the UK, and I'd like to thank all those who have helped ensure the first switchover has gone smoothly.
"Our immediate priority is to make sure assistance is available to those who need it. I'd like to reassure the few people who have yet to switch, or who may need advice on issues such as retuning their new equipment, that we'll be on hand in the coming weeks to provide practical support."
Digital UK sent a leaflet to every UK household telling them about switchover and also launched a nationwide TV, radio and print campaign, created by AMV BBDO. Media planning and buying is handled by MediaCom.
Last month, former Sky marketing director Charlie Ponsonby launched a company called Simplifydigital to offer consumers free and impartial advice on choosing digital TV, broadband and home telephony services.
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