It is located east of Kapuskasing, northeast of Timmins, south of Moosonee, and north of Iroquois Falls.

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.

[3][6] The settlement was devastated by fire in 1910, 1911, and 1916, but was rebuilt each time and became a transportation hub for northern Ontario.

However, to this day, if Cochrane's weather equipment fails at any time, the Timmins temperature readings are used due to the overall similarity.

Though the soil is considered to be of good quality, the growing season is too short to have substantial crop production.

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.

Also located on the grounds of the Polar Bear Habitat, is the Cochrane Classic Vintage Riders Snowmobile Museum.

The Cochrane Public Library was established in 1917 and houses a large collection of books, DVDs, puzzles, video games, and other material.

[citation needed] 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.

The team and the town of Cochrane successfully won their bid to host the Dudley Hewitt Cup in 2019.

The last roads in this part of Ontario end about halfway between Cochrane and Moosonee at Otter Rapids.