[3] Cooma is 5 kilometres (3 mi) south of the banks of the Murrumbidgee River, a main tributary of the Murray–Darling basin.

Cooma has developed a growing tourism industry as it became the main rest stop for many travellers heading to the NSW snow fields during the winter months.

The Aviation Pioneers' Memorial at Cooma contains artifacts recovered from the Avro 618 Ten aircraft Southern Cloud, which crashed on 21 March 1931 in the Toolong range of the Australian Alps.

Summer averages are warm, though tend to swing wildly between hot and cool; and winters are chilly with particularly cold night time temperatures due to its valley location, high elevation, and frequent clear skies, sometimes recording the lowest temperatures in the country.

The area is exceptionally dry by southeast coastal Australian standards as it lies in a major rain shadow; the region is flanked by mountain ranges on all sides, most notably on the west.

[30][31] Strong cold fronts often push through the region in winter and snow is not uncommon in Cooma from June to September, though is generally light and rarely settles for more than 24 hours.

Severe thunderstorms are semi-frequent in summer, and owing to the elevation of the town can carry large quantities of hail.

[32] The airport is located at a higher elevation than the town, causing maximum temperatures to be notably cooler but minima somewhat milder.

The Cooma–Monaro Time Walk in Centennial Park was a community project to mark the Bicentennial Year of 1988, from designs by Cooma College of TAFE and the Cooma–Monaro Historical Society.

[35][36] One newspaper operates in Cooma, The Monaro Post, which began in 2006 and is independently owned by Gail Eastaway, Tracy Frazer and Louise Platts.

Note: transmitters for XLFM and Snow FM, as well as some ABC services, are in place throughout the Snowy Mountains.

The stations are:[37] Another transmitter for the Cooma and surrounding Monaro region is located at Mount Roberts approximately 30 km NNE of the town, broadcasting The Three Commercial TV Networks and the ABC Television services, but not SBS Television Services.