Nepean Township was established in 1792 and was named after Sir Evan Nepean, British Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department from 1782 to 1791.  Nepean was incorporated as a city on November 24, 1978. The geographic boundaries of Nepean have changed considerably over the years; the original town hall of the township was located in Westboro, which was annexed in 1949 by the city of Ottawa. Nepean's centre then moved to the community of Bells Corners. In the 1950 and 1960s, Nepean's urban area began to expand in previously rural areas such as Centrepointe  and Barrhaven.  While it amalgamated into the City of Ottawa in 2001, the name “Nepean” continues in common usage in reference to the area.  The population of Nepean is about 150,000 people, and downtown is a mere 15 – 20 minutes away via the Queensway expressway, or the scenic Ottawa Valley Parkway.

Although the neighboring municipality of Kanata formed the entrepreneurial and high-tech center of the region, Nepean hosted noted industries such as Nortel Networks, JDS Uniphase and Gandalf Technologies. As with the rest of the National Capital Region, however, Nepean's economy is heavily dependent on federal government employment.  

Ben Franklin Place,  which was formerly the city hall,  is infamous for transforming its’ spectacular water fountain into an outdoor public skating rink in the winter months and now serves as a client service centre, and home to a branch of the Ottawa Library and the Centrepointe Theatre. The theatre has welcomed Sir Peter Ustinov, Christopher Plummer, Liona Boyd, Sarah McLachlan, Bruce Cockburn, Blue Rodeo, the Barenaked Ladies, Kids in the Hall, the Rankins, Leahy, Lyle Lovett, the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Harlem Gospel Choir and a great many others.   The Nepean Museum collects, preserves, researches, exhibits and interprets the works of man and nature in Nepean.

For the little ones, The Little Animal Farm is an idyllic, traditional farm with plenty of little animals to pet as well as a play park, and maple syrup in the spring. Nepean is dotted with parks, play structures, soccer fields, indoor and outdoor community pools, recreation centres, indoor and outdoor rinks, baseball diamonds and they even have an enormous dog park,