Kelty McCallion says she never comes close in jellybean guessing contests, but she sure nailed it when it came to pegging Cochrane's new population.
Kelty was within just 23 people shy of guessing the correct population of Cochrane in a contest held in conjunction with the spring census that placed the town's population at 37,011 people. Kelty guessed 36,988.
A couple of factors lead to her accurate guess. She says she is involved with several Facebook groups in Cochrane and noticed a high volume of people making recommendations on things to do, where to live, and the best builders
"They kind of made me realize, like, wow, there are a lot of people looking to move to Cochrane, and it's one of the fastest-growing communities in Canada."
Her mother manages the University of Calgary Gymnastics Cochrane and Kelty noticed how there's been incredible growth in membership. Plus, her brother-in-law's company has been pouring basement foundations like there's no tomorrow.
Still, she is surprised to come the closest among those who entered.
"Over 900 participants put in their guesses, so I was really shocked when I was the closest one for what I thought the population was. It was a bit of a shock, but I was also really excited."
She believes it was a smart move by the town to hold the contest in conjunction with the census.
"What a great way to get some more like public engagement and just have some more people participate in the census because it's definitely hard to get 100 per cent participation, and I was just excited to try and put my guesses in and see if I was close."
The town estimates 95 per cent of residents participated.
She's receiving a prize package from the town for her accurate calculation.
