Cochrane, Alberta
Encyclopedia
Cochrane ˈ is a town in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. The town is located 18 km west of the Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
city limits along Highway 1A. With a population of 15,424 (2009), Cochrane is the second largest town in Alberta and one of the fastest growing communities in Canada. It is part of Calgary's Census Metropolitan Area (1,107,200 in 2006) and a member community of the Calgary Regional Partnership
Calgary Region
The Calgary Region is an area centred around Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It consists of the City of Calgary, Rocky View County and the municipalities it encloses, and the Municipal District of Foothills No. 31 and the municipalities it encloses. The Calgary Census Metropolitan Area and Calgary...
(CRP). The town is surrounded by Rocky View County.
History
Cochrane was established in 1881 as the Cochrane Ranche, after Matthew Cochrane, a local rancher. It became a village in 1903 and a town in 1971.Geography
Cochrane is situated at the base of Big Hill in the Bow RiverBow River
The Bow River is a river in the Canadian province of Alberta. It is a tributary of the South Saskatchewan River, and is considered the headwater of the Nelson River....
Valley. It sits at an elevation of 1186 metres (3,891.1 ft). The town is intersected by Highway 1A and Highway 22. Cochrane has a reputation for its western culture, which can easily be felt when one wanders the streets (particularly Main Street). The town is a popular destination for ice cream and coffee in its quaint western-oriented stores as well as for windsports, golfing, hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
and other adventure activities.
Cochrane is also a small industrial centre. Major industries include lumber, construction, retail, and agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
(ranching). It is notable as being one of a very few communities in Canada with no business tax.
Cochrane is known for outdoor pursuits. It is a centre for paragliding/skydiving instruction, with the renowned Muller family operating a school at the top of the Big Hill.
The hill is also a popular training ground for cyclists
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
from the area, who take advantage of its 7% grade and 3.5 km distance.
Demographics
| Census History |
|
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1911 | 395 |
| 1941 | 298 |
| 1971 | 1,046 |
| 1981 | 3,544 |
| 1991 | 5,267 |
| 2001 | 11,798 |
| 2006 | 13,760 |
| 2009 | 15,424 |
The population of the Town of Cochrane according to its 2009 municipal census is 15,424.
In 2006, Cochrane had a population of 13,760 living in 4,969 dwellings
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
, a 14.3% increase from 2001. The town has a land area of 30.03 km² (11.6 sq mi) and a population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 458.3 /km2.
Culture
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:
- Chamber of Commerce Trade Fair: Early May
- Cochrane Valley Festival of the Arts: Canada DayCanada DayCanada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
(July 1) - Town of Cochrane presents the Canada Day Family Concert : Canada Day (July 1)
- Labour Day Rodeo & Parade: Labour DayLabour DayLabour Day or Labor Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for...
weekend - Terry Fox RunTerry Fox RunThe Terry Fox Run is an annual non-competitive charity event held in numerous regions around the world in commemoration of Canadian cancer activist Terry Fox, and his Marathon of Hope, and to raise money for cancer research....
: September - Christmas Lightup: Late November
Arts
Cochrane Ranch provided the corral setting for the 1954 National Film Board of CanadaNational Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
documentary Corral
Corral (film)
Corral is a 1954 National Film Board of Canada documentary by Colin Low, partly shot in the Cochrane Ranch in what is now Cochrane, Alberta....
, by Colin Low
Colin Low (filmmaker)
Colin Archibald Low, CM, RCA is a Canadian animation and documentary filmmaker.Born in Cardston, Alberta, Low attended the Banff School of Fine Arts and the Calgary Institute of Technology, now known as the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology...
, whose father had worked as a foreman at the ranch. This film played theatrically across Canada and was named Best Documentary at the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
.
Government
Municipal politicsCochrane has a town council consisting of an elected mayor and six councillors elected at-large
At-Large
At-large is a designation for representative members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent the whole membership of the body , rather than a subset of that membership...
. 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 third year.
The current town council (elected in October 2010) consists of Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Truper McBride and Councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s Ivan Brooker, Joann Churchill, Ivan Davies, Tara McFadden, Jeffery Toews, and Ross Watson.
Provincial politics
Cochrane is located within the provincial electoral division of Banff-Cochrane
Banff-Cochrane
Banff-Cochrane is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada. This riding is home to the popular tourist destination Banff National Park, environmental issues tend to dominate here....
. It has been represented in the Alberta Legislature by Progressive Conservative MLA Janis Tarchuk
Janis Tarchuk
Janis Tarchuk is a Canadian politician and current Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the constituency of Banff-Cochrane as a Progressive Conservative.-Early life:Ms. Tarchuk has a long history of community involvement...
since the 1997 provincial election.
Federal politics
Cochrane is located along the southern most boundary of the federal electoral district of Wild Rose
Wild Rose (electoral district)
Wild Rose is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988. It had been called a safe seat for the Conservative Party of Canada.- Geography :...
. Blake Richards
Blake Richards
Blake Richards is a Canadian politician, who was first elected to represent the electoral district of Wild Rose in the 2008 Canadian federal election...
is representing Cochrane in the House of Commons since 2008. He replaced long standing MP Myron Thompson
Myron Thompson
Myron Thompson is a former Conservative Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons. He represented the riding of Wild Rose in Alberta....
, who was originally elected as a member of the Reform Party
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
in 1993.
Education
Cochrane is home to schools from both the public Rocky View School Division as well as the separate Calgary Catholic School DistrictCalgary Catholic School District
The Calgary Catholic School District is the Roman Catholic separate school board in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It also serves the neighboring communities of Airdrie, Chestermere, and Cochrane...
and the Francophone school system, the Greater Southern Alberta Catholic Francophone Region #4 (CSCFSA).
As of 2008, there are currently nine public and separate schools in operation within the town boundaries.
- Rocky View School Division
- Bow Valley High SchoolBow Valley High SchoolBow Valley High School is a public secondary school located in the township of Cochrane, Alberta, Canada. The school falls under the jurisdiction of the Rocky View Schools Division...
: Grades 9–12 - Cochrane High School: Grades 9–12
- Elizabeth Barret Elementary School: Kindergarten, Grades 1–4
- Glenbow Elementary School: Kindergarten, Grades 1–4
- Mitford Middle SchoolMitford Middle SchoolMitford Middle School is a middle school in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada. Its administration staff consists of Principal Ty Nguyen and Assistant Principle Tony Wagner. The school encompasses grades 6-9 and when they graduate they move onto Rebecca Blacks School Of Auto-tune.Title = Mitford...
: Grades 5–8 - Manachaban Middle School: Grades 5–8
- Cochrane Christian Program: Kindergarten, Grades 1-8
- Bow Valley High School
- Calgary Catholic School DistrictCalgary Catholic School DistrictThe Calgary Catholic School District is the Roman Catholic separate school board in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It also serves the neighboring communities of Airdrie, Chestermere, and Cochrane...
- Holy Spirit: Grades 1–6
- St. TimothySt. Timothy High School (Cochrane)St. Timothy is a Canadian school in Cochrane, Alberta that opened in 2004. It is home of the sports team, the Thunder, and houses students from grade seven to twelve. It is located just outside of the town next to the Cochrane Ranch house. The school is named after St. Timothy, a bishop of Ephesus....
: Grades 7–12 - Nôtre Dame Des Vallées: Kindergarten, Grades 1–8 (French-Catholic school GSACFR#4 or CSCFSA)
In November 2006 the Rocky 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 Program 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. Further expansion to higher-grade levels will depend on student enrolment numbers.
There are currently two trustees (one from each board) elected to represent Cochrane Schools at their respective boards. As of January 2008 these trustees are:
- Dr. Bruce Pettigrew: Rocky View School Division, Ward 6
- Serafino Scarpino: Calgary Catholic School DistrictCalgary Catholic School DistrictThe Calgary Catholic School District is the Roman Catholic separate school board in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It also serves the neighboring communities of Airdrie, Chestermere, and Cochrane...
, Wards 1, 2 and Cochrane
The Greater Southern Alberta Catholic Francophone Region #4 has one trustee for the Region from Cochrane.
Cochrane is also home to the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary, the flagship seminary of the Canadian Southern Baptist Convention, the Canadian branch of the largest US Protestant denomination.