West Valley Cochrane Community attractions such as Cochrane Ranche Historic Site and Bert Sheppard Stockmen's Foundation Library And Archives, located in the Cochrane Ranchehouse. West Valley Cochrane is home to many annual events each year: Chamber of Commerce Trade Fair: Early May Cochrane Valley Festival of the Arts: Canada Day (July 1) Town of Cochrane presents the Canada Day Family Concert : Canada Day (July 1) Labour Day Rodeo & Parade: Labour Day weekend Terry Fox Run: September Christmas Lightup: Late November Arts West Valley Cochrane provided the corral setting for the 1954 National Film Board of Canada documentary Corral, by Colin Low, 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. Municipal politics West Valley Cochrane has a town council consisting of an elected mayor and six councillors elected at-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 third year.

The current town council (elected in October 2010) consists of Mayor Truper McBride and Councillors Ivan Brooker, Joann Churchill, Ivan Davies, Tara McFadden, Jeffery Toews, and Ross Watson. Cochrane is located within the provincial electoral division of Banff-Cochrane. It has been represented in the Alberta Legislature by Progressive Conservative MLA Janis Tarchuk since the 1997 provincial election. Cochrane is located along the southern most boundary of the federal electoral district of Wild Rose. Blake Richards is representing Cochrane in the House of Commons since 2008. He replaced long standing MP Myron Thompson, who was originally elected as a member of the Reform Party in 1993.


West Valley Education Glenbow Cochrane is home to schools from both the public Rocky View School Division as well as the separate Calgary Catholic School District 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 School: Cochrane High School: Elizabeth Barret Elementary School: Kindergarten Glenbow Elementary School: Kindergarten Mitford Middle School Manachaban Middle School Cochrane Catholic School District

West Valley Cochrane is a growing and vibrant bedroom community just minutes west of Calgary's city limits and a 40 Minute commute to Downtown Calgary. With a growing population comes a growing service sector with international retailers like Safeway, Starbucks, and Blockbuster just to name a few. But don't forget home grown favorites like Cochrane Coffee Traders, Guy's Cafe and World Famous McKay's Ice Cream. With incredible proximity to the Rocky Mountains, Banff National Park, Canmore and Kananaskis Country. Local amenities include the Cochrane Library, Spray Lakes Recreation Centre, Cochrane Ranche, Swimming Pool, Hockey Rinks, Curling Rink, The Links of GlenEagles a 18 Hole Championship Golf Course and kilometers of walking and bike paths.