[4] The College serves a regional population of approximately 82,700 people who live within a large 45,000 square kilometre area.

Recognizing the need for apprenticeship training, in 1971, James Patterson, a hard rock miner in the Sullivan Mine in Kimberley, BC and member of the local School Board, initiated the process of establishing a local vocational school.

[5] East Kootenay Community College was established on May 8, 1975 with an edict from the government that the main campus be constructed in Cranbrook.

Associate Degrees in Arts and Sciences were offered for the first time in the 1993 academic year, and the Purcell House student residence was completed in 1995.

In 2007, the Cranbrook Campus completed a $16.2 million (CDN) expansion, with a new Academic building and a new Trades facility.

In 2009, COTR was granted $12.7 million (CDN) from the Federal and Provincial governments as part of the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, in order to expand and upgrade buildings at the Cranbrook campus.