This Alberta town has mountains on one side, Calgary on the other — and some big growing pains

Tucked away in a picturesque river valley at the foot of the Rocky Mountains is the town of Cochrane, Alta.

A short drive from Banff National Park to the west and the city of Calgary to the east, it has become the fastest-growing community in Canada's fastest-growing province.

It's a metamorphosis that Gord Davies has watched happen over more than 75 years. His childhood home served as the town's first hospital in the early 1900s; now it's the Cochrane Historical Museum. 

"There were probably 400 people when I was a young kid starting school," Davies said, reflecting on where the town has been and where it's headed during an interview inside his former home. "We basically had the run of the town."

A lot has changed since then. 

Cochrane is now a bustling municipality with nearly 40,000 residents. Its population almost doubled in size over the past decade alone and by the town's own projections, it could more than double again by 2050 to 90,000 people. 

Davies understands why more people are choosing to call the town home. 

"Cochrane sits in one of the most beautiful geographic situations in this area with the mountains in the distance and the valley, the river," he says. "I think that's a huge attraction for people. And it's commutable to the city."

Cochrane is about 15 kilometres northwest of Calgary. Heading in the other direction, it's about 85 kilometres to the gates of Banff National Park. 

A little over a year ago, Lauren Lord, a freshly minted Cochranite who works remotely, traded Toronto for a home in the Alberta town. She has no regrets.

"I'm a pretty big outdoorsy person, so really just wanted to be closer to nature, mountains," she said. 

In Toronto, Lord rented the main floor of a bungalow with two bedrooms and one bathroom. For the same amount in Cochrane, she lives in a duplex with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. 

Growing pains

But with more and more people making Cochrane their home, infrastructure in the town is struggling to keep up. 

"Traffic has been the biggest problem," Davies said. "You used to be able to go to an appointment five minutes before. Now it's at least 15 or 20 before you go because you never know what you're going to run into."

A massive roadworks project underway in the town is aimed at alleviating some of that congestion. The interchange is expected to cost $95 million and is slated to be finished by 2026.

But traffic is only one challenge, according to Cochrane Mayor Jeff Genung.

"It is touching everything," he said.

"Our classrooms are over capacity. Our highways are jammed. Our grocery stores. We need more housing. We need more schools. We need more seniors centres. We need more pools. We need more of almost every single thing."

All of those services carry a big price tag — and coming up with the cash is challenging for a mid-sized community like Cochrane.

In 2024, the Alberta government introduced a new infrastructure funding model for municipalities to try and ease some of the strain on municipal governments. 

Genung said the new model has helped in some ways, but it's still not enough.

"We have to be clear with people that this is what we're providing, this is what it costs and if you want more, then the costs are going to have to go up," he says. 

Despite the challenges, Genung is still optimistic about the future. 

"Growth is our biggest issue and also our best problem," he said. "I'm proud to live in a community that other people are aspiring to live in."

Back at his childhood-home-turned-museum, Davies is also bullish on Cochrane's future. 

"There are lots of advantages, some disadvantages," said Davies. "It's been basically fairly positive and now they're catching up with the infrastructure and life becomes a little bit better all the time."