Cochrane | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Town of Cochrane | |
 Overview of Cochrane | |
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| Motto: How the West is Now | |
 Boundaries of Cochrane | |
  Cochrane Location in Rocky View County Show map of Rocky View County Cochrane Location in Alberta Show map of Alberta Cochrane Cochrane (Canada) Show map of Canada | |
| Coordinates:51°11′20″N114°28′01″W / 51.189°N 114.467°W /51.189; -114.467 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Metropolitan area | Calgary |
| Planning region | South Saskatchewan |
| Municipal district | Rocky View County |
| Incorporated[1] | |
| • Village | June 17, 1903 |
| • Town | February 15, 1971 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Morgan Nagel |
| • Governing body | Cochrane Town Council
|
| • CAO | Mike Derricott |
| • MP | Blake Richards (Cons –Banff—Airdrie) |
| • MLA | Peter Guthrie (UCP) –Airdrie-Cochrane) |
| Area (2021)[3] | |
| • Land | 31.58 km2 (12.19 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,159 m (3,802 ft) |
| Population (2021)[3] | |
• Total | 32,199 |
| • Density | 1,019.5/km2 (2,640/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Cochranite[5] |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) |
| Forward sortation area | |
| Area codes | 403,587, 825, 368 |
| Highways |  Highway 1A Highway 22Cowboy Trail |
| Railways | Canadian Pacific Kansas City |
| Website | www |
Cochrane (/ˈkɒkrən/KOK-rən) is a town in theCalgary Metropolitan Region ofAlberta, Canada. The town is located 18 km (11 mi) west of theCalgary city limits alongHighway 1A. Cochrane is one of the fastest-growing communities in Canada, and with a population of 32,199 in 2021, it is one of thelargest towns in Alberta. It is part of Calgary'scensus metropolitan area and a member community of theCalgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB). The town is surrounded byRocky View County.
Cochrane was established in 1881 as the Cochrane Ranche, afterMatthew Henry Cochrane, a local rancher. It became a village in 1903[6] and it had a newspaper and volunteer fire department by 1909.[7] Cochrane incorporated as a town in 1971.[6]
Cochrane is situated at the base of Big Hill in theBow River Valley. It sits at an elevation of 1,186 m (3,891 ft). The town is intersected byHighway 1A andHighway 22. Cochrane has a reputation for its western culture—clearly seen when one wanders the streets (particularly First St). The town is a popular destination for ice cream and coffee in its quaint western-themed stores as well as forwindsports,golfing,hiking and other adventure activities.
Cochrane is also a small industrial centre. Major industries include lumber, construction, retail, andagriculture (ranching). It is notable as being one of very few communities in Canada with no business tax.
The hill is also a popular training ground forcyclists from the area, who take advantage of its 7% grade and 3.5 km (2.2 mi) distance.
Vegetation in the Cochrane area is mostly a complex ofgrassland andaspen groves. Mixed forest, withwhite spruce most conspicuous, covers north-facing slopes and part of the Bow River valley.
The following neighbourhoods are located within Cochrane.[8]
In the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, the Town of Cochrane had a population of 32,199 living in 12,096 of its 12,578 total private dwellings, a change of24.5% from its 2016 population of 25,853. With a land area of 31.58 km2 (12.19 sq mi), it had a population density of1,019.6/km2 (2,640.8/sq mi) in 2021.[3]
The population of the Town of Cochrane according to its2019 municipal census is 29,277,[9] a change of4.7% from its2018 municipal census population of 27,960.[10] At its current population, Cochrane is one of thelargest towns in the province and is eligible for city status. According to Alberta'sMunicipal Government Act, a town is eligible for city status when it reaches 10,000 residents.[11]
In the2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Cochrane recorded a population of 25,853 living in 9,757 of its 10,225 total private dwellings, a47.1% change from its 2011 population of 17,580. With a land area of 29.83 km2 (11.52 sq mi), it had a population density of866.7/km2 (2,244.7/sq mi) in 2016.[12]
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| Source:Statistics Canada[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][12] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Panethnic group | 2021[3] | 2016[12] | 2011[35] | 2006[34] | 2001[33] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |||||
| European[a] | 27,320 | 86.81% | 23,015 | 89.76% | 16,160 | 93.46% | 13,050 | 96.03% | 11,170 | 96.21% | ||||
| Indigenous | 1,470 | 4.67% | 1,075 | 4.19% | 510 | 2.95% | 285 | 2.1% | 260 | 2.24% | ||||
| Southeast Asian[b] | 980 | 3.11% | 540 | 2.11% | 160 | 0.93% | 60 | 0.44% | 0 | 0% | ||||
| South Asian | 510 | 1.62% | 220 | 0.86% | 125 | 0.72% | 20 | 0.15% | 65 | 0.56% | ||||
| East Asian[c] | 350 | 1.11% | 305 | 1.19% | 145 | 0.84% | 65 | 0.48% | 65 | 0.56% | ||||
| African | 350 | 1.11% | 180 | 0.7% | 105 | 0.61% | 45 | 0.33% | 40 | 0.34% | ||||
| Latin American | 280 | 0.89% | 140 | 0.55% | 55 | 0.32% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | ||||
| Middle Eastern[d] | 100 | 0.32% | 90 | 0.35% | 0 | 0% | 20 | 0.15% | 10 | 0.09% | ||||
| Other/multiracial[e] | 115 | 0.37% | 80 | 0.31% | 0 | 0% | 45 | 0.33% | 0 | 0% | ||||
| Total responses | 31,470 | 97.74% | 25,640 | 99.18% | 17,290 | 98.35% | 13,590 | 98.76% | 11,610 | 96.42% | ||||
| Total population | 32,199 | 100% | 25,853 | 100% | 17,580 | 100% | 13,760 | 100% | 12,041 | 100% | ||||
| Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses | ||||||||||||||
Cochrane Ranche provided the corral setting for the 1954National Film Board of Canada documentaryCorral, byColin Low, whose father had worked as a foreman at the ranch. This film played theatrically across Canada and was named Best Documentary at theVenice Film Festival.[36]
Cochrane houses attractions such as Cochrane Ranche Historic Site and Bert Sheppard Stockmen's Foundation Library And Archives, located in the Cochrane Ranchehouse.
Cochrane is home to many annual events each year:
TheCochrane Generals are a Junior B Hockey Club based out of Cochrane Alberta Canada. The Club has been representing the Town Of Cochrane Since 1984. The team played in the FJHL and the CAJHL before our move to the HJHL (Heritage Junior Hockey League) winning 2 championships both back to back 1985-1986 and 2007-2008. The Local Hockey Club played at the Original Cochrane Arena from 1984-2001/2018-2023 before our move to the SLS Centre. In the 41 year history of the Generals.They have won 6 Division titles and 4 league titles, Including 2 Silver medals at theAlberta Junior B Provincials.
Cochrane has a town council consisting of an elected mayor and six councillors electedat-large. Councillors are elected by the eligible electors by voting for up to six candidates and the six receiving the largest number of votes being elected. The position of deputy mayor is rotated through the councillors over their term. Elections are held on the third Monday in October every fourth year.
As of October 19, 2021, the town council consists of mayor Jeff Genung and Councillors Susan Flowers, Patrick Wilson, Morgan Nagel, Marni Fedeyko, Tara McFadden, Alex Reed.[40]
Cochrane is located within the provincial electoral division ofAirdrie-Cochrane. It has been represented in the Alberta Legislature byUCP MLAPeter Guthrie since the 2019 provincial election.
| Year | United Cons. | New Democratic | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 63% | 9,802 | 29% | 4,482 | |
Cochrane is located in the federal electoral district ofBanff-Airdrie and is represented byBlake Richards in theHouse of Commons. He also represented Cochrane from 2008-2015 as the MP for the federal electoral district ofWild Rose. He replaced long standing MPMyron Thompson, who was originally elected as a member of theReform Party in 1993.
| Year | Liberal | Conservative | New Democratic | Green | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10% | 1,759 | 60% | 10,038 | 15% | 2,503 | 1% | 224 | |
| 2019 | 8% | 1,312 | 74% | 12,512 | 10% | 1,718 | 3% | 574 | |
On October 7, 2019 the town launched COLT (Cochrane On-Demand Local Transit).[43] An app based local transportation service, described as an "Uber bus system".[43] The transit system, which was chosen due to its significantly lower operating cost compared to traditional route based transit, allows for users to request a ride on demand from one of over 150 stops in the town.[43][44] COLT has a partnership withOn-It regional transit, providing a connection between Cochrane andCalgary.[45]
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Cochrane is home to schools from the publicRocky View School Division No. 41, the separateCalgary Catholic School District, and the Conseil Scolaire FrancoSud.
As of 2025, there were twelve public and separate schools in operation within the town boundaries.[46]
In November 2006 theRocky View School Division accepted a proposal by the Cochrane Christ-Centred Education Society to set up a Protestant Christian education program in Cochrane. The Cochrane Christian Academy opened its doors at Mitford Middle School in September 2007, offering kindergarten to grade 4. Approval for expansion to include grade 5 for the 2008–09 school year was given by the board of trustees in April 2008.
There are two trustees (one from each board) elected to represent Cochrane Schools at their respective boards.
The FrancoSud School Board (previously the Greater Southern Alberta Catholic Francophone Region #4) has one trustee for the Region from Cochrane.
Cochrane is also home to theCanadian Southern Baptist Seminary, the flagship seminary of theCanadian National Baptist Convention, the Canadian branch of the largest US Protestant denomination.
Media related toCochrane, Alberta at Wikimedia Commons
Places adjacent to Cochrane, Alberta | |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
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