Moving to Cochrane
 

Hi All
Mick and I (kim) are moving to cochrane hopefully on the 12th august(if house goes through this time) could anyone out there tell me whats its like, shopping, restaurants etc? i have looked on the net but cant really find much.
We have rented a house until the end of june 08, this gives us time to have a good look around at the surrounding areas for when we want to buy.
Any info greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Kim and Mick ( and lulu the dog)

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

Hi

Will be moving the week before you but unfortunately not to Cochrane.

Good to hear you have a rental sorted out - so good luck with your move.

Gaynor
x

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

We are also looking to move to the Cochrane area, hopefully by june 08!
Best place for a cheap family meal has to be Smittys. Has a nice movie theatre and a massive safeway which feels empty compared to UK supermarkets.
We will also be looking to rent when we move out there and hopefully buy just after, Mr us3 wants to move to the Water Valley area.
Has a great walk/cycle path around the Town that is really safe, Also has a nice pool and sports centre. They are building loads of houses there at the moment.
How did you go about renting a house, any good web sites.
Good Luck

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

c21gold@telusplanet.

We have found this lady to be very helpful, she has even rang us a few times, she is called chloe cartright, a real estate agent.

worth emailing her,
Kim

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

We have met a few estate agents and find Cliff MacRae and Deborah MacIsaac of Remax really nice.

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

Hi Mick and Kim

Very brave to rent somewhere that you do not know ! However, I think you have made a good choice, and I hope you like it in Cochrane.

There are three main supermarkets in the town - Safeways, Canadian Foods and IGA - all better valued for different things, so you do learn to shop around rather than having the luxury of shopping in one place ! But hey, it's interesting !

Eateries are mainly the 'chain's' in the town, the usual mix of McD's (if you call that a restaurant), Smitty's, Joey's (seafood), Dairy Queen, Pita place, Opa, Starbucks, Tim Hortons, etc, etc. There is a place called Prairie Smoke for steaks, etc - not bad. There's a fish & chip place, and a couple of independant places. There is a new bar/grill opened up called Olive R Twist which we have not tried yet, plus the hotels, and of course Mackays Ice Cream store.

The town has a few of the 'big box' names - but generally a smaller version, Canadian Tyre, The Source, etc - plus all the main banks.

There are three gyms, I think, the large leisure centre and the pool - all of which are good. And someone has already mentioned the walking trails around the river. So far, I have found it a clean, friendly and beautiful place to live. Hubby is working right downtown at the moment and is allowing an hour for driving/parking or driving/C-train.

There are loads of little workshops and small businesses - for everything from plumbing to car servicing/repairs/ to glass to computers to hitch shops to garden centre, liquor stores, and bars, small independant clothing stores and of course all the 'cutesy' arty-farty and antiquey type places - too numerous to mention but I'm guessing that whatever you wanted, you could find. There is a decent recycling depot which takes just about everything you can think of - so get some recycling bins !
There are quite a few doctors and dentists -and a drop-in clinic. We haven't signed up yet (just waiting for details via hubby's employers) but some have notices up welcoming new patients so I am hoping that won't be an issue.

We spent the first few weeks up and down Highway 1A in and out of the city limits to various areas locating the 'big' stores in which to spend our money and furnish the home with all things Canadian, ie, the big electricals - so gas usage was quite high! But we've calmed down on that now, so back to normal.

The weather has been unusally gorgeous and I hope it carries on for a few more weeks for you ! Hope you like it here, we do so far ! :)

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

Hiya

Cochrane is on our list too - Jim has a cousin who lives there and she told us to watch out for a few housing areas when looking for houses e.g. some parts of Gleneagles (but not all) have had problems with land slips, and one area (Bow?) was close to the flood plain. The West Valley area was quite nice by the river (near Mitford School?) as you can walk to town along the river paths. Cousin advised us to get a good local realtor who knows the score with the different housing areas.
We tried the Olive R Twist a couple of times after it had just opened when we were on a reccie trip back in June. Not sure how it compares price wise to other places but the steak and pizza were very nice and the barman (owner) was very friendly!
Flossie

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

My God, WHY?

Are you in Mining, or did CHEAP attract you.

Cochrane is in the middle of nowhere, going to nowhere, bugs in Summer, Bitter Cold in winter.

Sorry to be blunt, but I travelled that area extensivly , all the way past Krapascasing to Hearst to Moose Factory, you had better like the outdoors and Moose hunting.

Timmins is closest spot of any size, would not be on my list as places to live.

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

Grab an atlas Howard.

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

Howard come and live in Cochrane - first of all cheap it is not!!! Be warned!! - bugs in summer, well yes but not as many as I have come across in Airdrie or even the UK for that matter, cold in winter - HELLO this is Canada and what about having a winter playground on the doorstep to enjoy the cold!!! Cochrane is wonderful and my realtor Mike Borody comes highly recommended - he took me round and round and then round some more. Ann try out the services of Twisted Basil - organic groceries delivered to your door!!!! Heaven and the weather is heaven. Also for rentals try looking at the Cochrane Times on line or homerentca.com

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

Poor Howard has hoof in mouth disease and is geographically challenged. :p

He thinks it's the Cochrane in Ontario that people are talking about.

So much for traveling extensively.:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

:rofl:You are right on the money there Steve!!!!

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

Do you think he will eat humble pie:unsure::confused:

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

Thanks for clearing that up Steve ...... I wondered what the hell he was on about!!!

Don't choke on your shoelaces Howard! :rofl:

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

Where did it NOT say Cochrane, Ontario,some of you Brits are really not that gracious a bunch for those of us who try to help, some of you do display marked rudeness, a British trait I guess, helps explain why you are not always welcome in our communities.

Two hours after they shut of the engines of the BA Flight, you can still hear the whining, heard that one in Australia, where they really don't like Brits.

Cochrane is COLD, it is not a typical cold, that is why so few people live there, most go because of work in the mines:curse::curse::curse::curse::curse::curse:

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

What??????!!!!!!!

Have you ever read any of YOUR posts?????? :blink:

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

Cochrane ALBERTA is a great place to live, you see the mountains everyday, can go walking or running by the river, have some great small resturants, and if you want to go to Calgary to get your city 'fix' then it is only a 20 minute drive. I moved here straight from the UK 5 years ago, and it was the best move we made. PM if you have any specific questions about Cochrane

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

Regardless of the (I think) blunt tone of your response, you still have not read the other posts - and we are still not talking about Ontario. So to continue about the cold and the mines in this instance is irrelevant. If anyone decides to move to Cochrane, Ontario, we'll be sure to ask you about it.

I am also guessing you are not British, due to your scathing comments about 'us' not being welcome in 'your' communities. Nicely put.

You seem to have a habit of diving into a thread, ripping it to sheds, then buggering off. :confused:

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

OOh - that one hit the nail on the head!! Good for you Ann. True we all have our own opinions but really it is one thing to pass through a place and quite another to live there. Maybe Howard passed through one cold glum day in winter, maybe it was even in Ontario, all I know is that for those of us actually living here - WE LOVE IT. And trust me - I have worked in tourism long enough to know that EVERYBODY whines!!:frown: It is the nature of being human.:blink:

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

:)Thinking about it Howard is probably a pussy cat - he says these outrageous things to get us all going - he probably is the mildest of men in the real world. Eh Howard?

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

No, call me quick to jump to conclusions if you like, but I think Howard is just a prat.

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

Oh and upthread, post #9: ann m, sweetie, is Canadian Tyre near Canadian Sodom and Gomorrah?

Re: Moving to Cochrane
 

No mick isnt into mining, he's a electrician, we are only renting this property until june, and cochrane sounds very nice to me. I expect cold winters were coming to canada arent we!!!
Our real estate agent told us it was salubrious(not sure if spelling is right) and its too posh a neighborhood to peg out washing, its considered a eye sore.
We love going to timmy ho's for breakie cant wait to get there. Got the packers coming today, hence cant sleep and up at 4am. Its been so stressful this past few weeks, what with 90 day letter coming and having to book medicals etc in, my daughter is working in ibiza for the summer so had to turn round in a day last week for medical, my turn tomorrow then we are all done, just need her dad to sign the form!!!!!

Would like to meet up with anyone interested on cochrane, for some pointers of where and where not to go etc, and for general advice and friendly faces.
Should be out there 12th august if all goes to plan with the house.

kim