Hi everyone,
My partner and i are moving to Calgary in January all going well we have done a lot of research on areas to live and would love to rent in Cochrane the company he will be working for is based in Red Deer but requires him to work away for maybe five days at a time or seven with three to four days off after,we have to young girls and i feel Cochrane has a lot to offer and would love to be close to the Rockies can anyone tell me if the commute is to much how long would it take to drive ?

On a daily basis; I believe it would be too far. On a weekly basis; it is doable

Depending on time of day, route you are taking and in fact whereabouts you live in Cochrane, you need to budget at least 30-45 minutes just to get as far as Airdrie - and from there it's an easy hour and a bit.

I've done it in just under two hours, but not exactly keeping within the speed limit.

It would be a hideous fall-asleep commute on a daily basis (IMHO) - but do-able on a weekly basis.

I agree with the above, too far everyday, it's roughly two hours on a good day - factor in snowstorms, then it would be really horrible.

My thoughts exactly - HWY2 in the winter no thanks, he probably wouldn't be hit with too much rush hour traffic coming in and out as he'd be leaving pretty early and returning pretty late - but still - bleurgh.

No no no!! We are in Airdrie and it takes us 35 mins to drive to Cochrane (45km) From here to Red Deer it's about an hour (116km) There is no way you could drive from Cochrane to Red Deer on a daily basis.

Have visited Cochrane?? Yes, it's closer to the mountains and for someone working in Calgary would be fine. My hubby works in Airdrie and we have chosen to live here too. We decided that Cochrane was just too far as a daily commute (although many do) especially in the winter. We want to be nearer to the mountains, but we weighed up the driving time during the week compared to the extra 35 mins it takes to get into the Rockies at the weekend and it was a no brainer. Hubby gets to spend more time with the family- one reason for our move here.

I would seriously consider other areas if this is a daily commute. You say your partner will be working away for days at a time, not sure if you mean he will be in Red Deer for days and then home or elsewhere

Have you looked at Red Deer, there are several posters on here who live in the area who could offer advice

One thing you will soon discover when you start driving in Canada is that it never looks very far on a map, but in reality.......

As the others have said, as a daily commute, absolutely not! In the summer it would be long, but the no 2 is a nightmare (didnt particularly enjoy it today from Olds down to Cross Iron, and that was in good weather!!!)

I can however highly rate Cochrane as a great community to live in, I met with a lovely couple today who are moving back to the UK tomorrow, and they have been living in Red Deer. They found they couldnt settle there, and said it doesnt have a good community feel, and for sure where you decide to settle is huge! It could be the difference between things working out and not.
Of course though having hubby close by is huge too.
My hubby works in town here when hes home, but hes off to Egypt this friday with work (yikes!) so i love the fact I have a great community support for when hes away.
Good luck with your decision and pm me if you need any more info.Happy to help as a friend.
x

I have to disagree here, there is huge community spirit in this little City. I know the couple moving back pretty well (just been for their last supper with them), sometimes there are other factors in wanting to move back to the UK and not just because a place didn't feel right. If the OP wants to know about Red Deer I would be moret han happy to answer q's.

I agree PP, I have a few friends in Red Deer and they all seem to love it.

It's pretty central to everything.

I agree with Mandymoochops and Piff Poff, I lived in Red Deer before my husband came over to join me.
It is central and I found it quite a friendly place.

As for the commute from Cochrane to Red Deer as previous posters have said, it would be a bit too far, especially in the winter.

You have to visit a place yourself to see if it feels right for you and ticks all (or most) of your boxes. Only you can decide this for yourselves. But from a practical point of view there is lots of useful info on here.

I'm sure most people who move to Alberta would love to live somewhere with the mountains right on their doorstep, like Canmore. But personally I think you need to consider other things, like where your main earner is working.

PS Hubby's co workers driving into Airdrie from Cochrane this morning said it was a nightmare with the large dump of snow we had overnight

Good Luck with your decision.

Hey all..thanks for reply my partner would be only doing the journey once a week the company is in red deer but even if we were to live there he wouldnt be home for either five or seven days at a time with either three or four days off after.. Wouldn't expect him to do a journey like that everyday that would be a bit selfish :-)

Once a week is totally doable

I know a fellow who did Okotoks to Red Deer daily for about 18 months. He did the 6-2 shift. Used to leave at 4.30am and be home for 5pm.

Good grief - I dread to think how much he spent on petrol

I just couldn't get my head around wasting 4 hours+ a day driving.