The community takes its name from the regional weather patterns influenced by warm, dry winter Chinook winds that sweep across parts of Alberta, modifying the otherwise harsh northern winters.

A major milestone in the community's early history was the establishment of its first local school in 1929, which provided vital educational access to the children of the area's growing farming families. The Post Office opened on April 29, 1931. The first postmaster was Harry Wakeman who held the position until 1951.

As regional transportation and infrastructure improved through the mid-20th century, smaller local school districts began to centralize. By the late 1940s, the original Chinook Valley school kids were incorporated into a newly built consolidated school framework nearby in the broader Woking/Peace River district.

True to its history, agriculture remains the absolute backbone of Chinook Valley. The surrounding landscape is characterized by expansive family farms producing cereal grains (wheat, barley, oats), oilseeds (canola), hay, and livestock.