Local google Page ranking change based on cookies?

Does google change the order it ranks a page to an individual based on that individuals browsing history or cookies? I got rid of all my cookies, but the nice rankings that I got disappeared and I got knocked down 5 pages behind. Was it a coincidence that these things happened at the same time, or does google personalize results?

Yes it does (sometimes.). You see a message on the right side of the search box saying that.