Cochrane, Ontario
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Cochrane is a town in northeastern
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, Canada. It is located east of
Kapuskasing Kapuskasing ( ) is a town on the Kapuskasing River in the Cochrane District of Northern Ontario, Canada, approximately east of Hearst, Ontario, Hearst and northwest of Timmins, Ontario, Timmins. The town was known as MacPherson until 1917. ...
, northeast of
Timmins Timmins ( ) is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 41,145 at the 2021 Canadian census and an estimated population of ...
, south of
Moosonee Moosonee () is a town in Northeastern Ontario, Canada, on the Moose River approximately south of James Bay. It is considered to be "the Gateway to the Arctic" and has Ontario's only saltwater port. Nearby, on Moose Factory Island, is the com ...
, and north of
Iroquois Falls Iroquois Falls is a town in Northern Ontario, Canada, with a population of 4,418 at the 2021 census. The town centre lies 11 km east of Hwy 11 on the banks of the Abitibi River, west of Lake Abitibi. Timmins, one of the largest cities in ...
. It is about a one-hour drive from Timmins and Kapuskasing, the other two major population centres of the region. It is the seat of
Cochrane District Cochrane District is a district and census division in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1921 from parts of Timiskaming and Thunder Bay districts. In 2021, the district's population was 77,963, with a l ...
. The town's population is made up of about half anglophone and half francophone residents.


History

Before Cochrane was founded, it was used as a summer camping ground by indigenous people, and a stopping place for fur traders travelling to
Moose Factory Moose Factory is a community in the Cochrane District, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Moose Factory Island, near the mouth of the Moose River (Ontario), Moose River, which is at the southern end of James Bay. It was the first English language ...
. In the early 20th century, the
National Transcontinental Railway The National Transcontinental Railway (NTR) was a historic railway between Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Moncton, New Brunswick, in Canada. Much of the line is now operated by the Canadian National Railway. The Grand Trunk partnership The completion o ...
was built through the area, and in 1907, the place was selected as the junction point with the
Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway The Ontario Northland Railway is a Canadian railway operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a provincial Crown agency of the government of Ontario. Originally built to develop the Lake Timiskaming and Lake Nipissing area ...
. In November 1908, the lots were sold by auction and a
railway town A railway town, or railroad town, is a settlement that originated, or was expanded, as a result of a railway line being constructed there. North America During the construction of the First transcontinental railroad in the 1860s, temporary, ...
formed.Ontario Heritage Foundation, Ministry of Culture and Communications It was incorporated on January 1, 1910, and named after politician and merchant
Frank Cochrane Frank Cochrane (28 October 1882 – 21 May 1962) was a British stage and film actor. Born in Durham, England. Amongst his stage work, he starred in the original production of ''Chu Chin Chow'' at His Majesty's Theatre in London in 1916; as ...
, a former mayor of
Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario ** Sudbury (federal electoral district) ** Sudbury (provincial electoral district) ** Sudbury Airport ** Sudbury Basin, a meteorite impact cra ...
and the Minister of Lands, Forests and Mines in the provincial government from 1905 to 1911, then Minister of Railways from 1911 to 1919. The settlement was devastated by fire in 1910, 1911, and
1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Empire, British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that has been stored ...
, but was rebuilt each time and became a transportation hub for northern Ontario. After the Reesor Siding Strike of 1963, Cochrane was the site of the trial for 20 Reesor Siding farmers charged with the killing of 3 union employees. In 1969, the Town of Cochrane annexed part of the surrounding Township of Glackmeyer, and in 2000, it amalgamated with the surrounding townships of Glackmeyer and Lamarche to create a newly expanded Town of Cochrane.


Geography


Climate

Cochrane has a
subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...
( Dfc) with very cold winters and warm summers.
Diurnal temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag, also known as thermal inertia, is an important factor in diur ...
is moderately high throughout the year. Annual snowfall is heavy, averaging 117 inches (297 cm). Precipitation peaks during early fall. Winter typically lasts from the end of October to well into April. Until 1977,
Timmins Timmins ( ) is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 41,145 at the 2021 Canadian census and an estimated population of ...
was used as the source for all weather readings attributed to Cochrane except for exceptional extremes, due to the overall similar climate due to proximity and topography. However, in December 1977, Cochrane temperature readings began to be taken from downtown after a noticeable difference in temperature was recorded two years prior in January 1976. However, to this day, if Cochrane's weather equipment fails at any time, the Timmins temperature readings are used due to the overall similarity.


Demographics

In the
2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...
conducted by
Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...
, Cochrane had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In the 2011 Census, Cochrane had a population of 5,340, a 2.7% decrease from the 2006 Census (5,487), which was itself a 3.6 percent decrease from the 2001 Census. Like many northern Ontario communities, the population decline is due to lack of employment. Mother tongue (2021): * English as first language: 59.3% * French as first language: 32.9% * English and French as first language: 4.3% * Other as first language: 2.6%


Economy

The main industries in Cochrane are transportation, railway, tourism, and forestry. Marginal farming also exists around Cochrane. Though the soil is considered to be of good quality, the growing season is too short to have substantial crop production.


Attractions


Polar bears

The town contains many references to polar bears. Its mascot is a large polar bear statue known as Chimo, erected in the early 1970s. There are also live polar bears at the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat, which opened in the summer of 2004. Polar bears from the
Toronto Zoo The Toronto Zoo is a zoo located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Encompassing , the Toronto Zoo is the largest zoo in Canada averaging around 1.2 million visitors a year. The zoo is divided into seven zoogeographic regions: Indo-Malaya, Africa, A ...
were relocated to Cochrane while a new pavilion was being constructed. Those two polar bears were returned to the Toronto Zoo in the summer of 2009.Toronto Zoo - Animals Off Display
In late May 2012, a new bear arrived at the Polar Bear Habitat, Ganuk. Also in 2012, a second bear, Inukshuk, was brought from the Toronto Zoo to The Polar Bear Habitat as a part-time resident. After successfully breeding 5 times in both the Toronto and Quebec Zoos, Inukshuk is now a permanent resident in Cochrane. In 2016 the habitat gained a third bear named Henry who came all the way from Sea World on the Gold Coast in Australia.


Cochrane Heritage Village

Located on the grounds of the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat, the Cochrane Heritage Village has multiple replica buildings housing historic settings, which reflect life in Cochrane in the early 1900's. The railway station has a set up to view a video of a history of the Town of Cochrane as well as artifacts and photos representing railroad history. There are train rides available in a small motor train. There is a historic butcher shop, doctor’s office, a shoe repair shop, blacksmith shop and hardware store. Other buildings include a homestead house, barn, a one room schoolhouse and a trapper’s cabin. There is a sit in restaurant for fast foods and snacks. The Heritage Village is open year round and often has costumed hosts.


Cochrane Classic Vintage Riders Snowmobile Museum

Also located on the grounds of the Polar Bear Habitat, is the Cochrane Classic Vintage Riders Snowmobile Museum. This museum is the second largest snowmobile museum in Canada, but the largest that is open to the public. This exhibit is open year round, and attracts sledders from across the province and out of province as well.


Cochrane Public Library

The Cochrane Public Library was established in 1917 and houses a large collection of books, DVDs, puzzles, video games, and other material. It offers tourists snowshoes and skis for lending in the winter and a safe place to enjoy. Downstairs there is an Art Gallery as well as a book saleroom. Coffee is available for purchase. The library houses the town's archives, which is a wealth of local history.


Sports


Ice hockey

Cochrane residents traditionally place hockey highly among their cultural values and native French and English speakers use the sport as a common ground to connect on. The town of Cochrane built and maintains the Tim Horton's Event Centre, which opened in 2006 and seats a capacity of over 800. Numerous construction delays hindered its official opening. The Tim Horton Museum is also situated in the facility and contains hockey memorabilia. From 2014 to 2023, the arena was home to the
Cochrane Crunch The Iroquois Falls Storm are a Canadian Junior "A" Hockey team based out of Iroquois Falls, Ontario, Canada. They currently play in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League and are former members of the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League. T ...
, a Canadian Jr. A hockey team. The Crunch played in the
NOJHL The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) is a Junior ice hockey league with eleven teams in Northeastern Ontario and Upper Michigan. The league is a constituent member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) and is governed by the N ...
, and in 2014/15 captured their first Eastern Division Championship. With an average attendance of 466, the small town placed third in the league. In the 2017/2018 season, the team became the East division champions and later going on to become league champions, who would go on to compete for the
Dudley Hewitt Cup The Dudley-Hewitt Cup is a championship ice hockey trophy awarded to the Central Canadian Junior A champion. The trophy is currently decided by round robin tournament format, at the conclusion of the playoffs of the Ontario Junior Hockey League ...
. The team and the town of Cochrane successfully won their bid to host the Dudley Hewitt Cup in 2019.


Transportation


Roads

Cochrane is situated along
Ontario Highway 11 King's Highway 11, commonly referred to as Highway 11, is a Ontario Provincial Highway Network, provincially-maintained highway in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. At , it is the second-longest highway in th ...
. The town is close to the northern end of the road system in the area. The last roads in this part of Ontario end about halfway between Cochrane and Moosonee at Otter Rapids.


Railway

The
Cochrane railway station Cochrane station is an inter-city railway and bus station located in the town of Cochrane, Ontario Canada operated by the Ontario Northland Railway (ONR). It is the southern terminus of the ''Polar Bear Express'' service to Moosonee (on the Moos ...
is operated by the
Ontario Northland Railway The Ontario Northland Railway is a Canadian railway operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a Crown agency (Ontario), provincial Crown agency of the government of Ontario. Originally built to develop the Lake Timiskaming ...
and serves as the southern terminus of the ''
Polar Bear Express The ''Polar Bear Express'' is a Canadian passenger train operated by the Ontario Northland Railway in Northern Ontario. Service was introduced in 1964. While designated as a passenger train, the Polar Bear Express also carries freight and is eq ...
'' which operates five days per week to and from
Moosonee Moosonee () is a town in Northeastern Ontario, Canada, on the Moose River approximately south of James Bay. It is considered to be "the Gateway to the Arctic" and has Ontario's only saltwater port. Nearby, on Moose Factory Island, is the com ...
.


Airport

The town is served by the Cochrane Aerodrome, but has no scheduled flights.


See also

*
List of francophone communities in Ontario This is a list of francophone communities in Ontario. Municipalities with a high percentage of French-speakers in the Canadian province of Ontario are listed. The provincial average of Ontarians whose mother tongue is French is 3.3%, with a to ...
*
List of towns in Ontario A town is a sub-type of List of municipalities in Ontario, municipalities in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. A town can have the municipal status of either a List of municipalities in Ontario#Single and lower ...
*
List of population centres in Ontario A population centre, in Canadian census data, is a type of census unit which meets the demographic characteristics of an urban area, having a population of at least 1,000 people and a population density of no fewer than 400 persons per square km ...


References


External links

* {{Authority control Single-tier municipalities in Ontario Towns in Ontario