It maintained its own library system from 1954 to amalgamation, its own police force from 1964 until it was regionalized in the 1990s; its own fire service and its own recreation programs.

Prior to amalgamation, Nepean's City Council spent many tax dollars aggressively campaigning against what they (and their allies) referred to as the "megacity" model.

(The one-city model was recommended by Glen Shortliffe, who was appointed by the Government of Ontario to study the issue of municipal reform in Ottawa-Carleton.)

Jehiel Collins, from Vermont, is believed to have been the first person to settle in Nepean Township, on the future site of Bytown.

Although the neighbouring municipality of Kanata formed the entrepreneurial and high tech centre 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 was also heavily dependent on federal government employment.

[1] Running north-south, Merivale Road is the retail centre of Nepean, offering many smaller shops as well as big box stores.

Colonnade Road Business Park is to the west of Merivale Road and south of Borden Farm, supporting many businesses along its two branches, including some federal offices such as the Public Health Agency of Canada and Canadian Corps of Commissionaires, and an OC Transpo bus depot.

The boulevard of Hunt Club West hosts a large auto mall, big box stores, PetSmart, and Costco's Canadian headquarters, as well as a retail location.

Further south is the Bentley Avenue industrial park where many independent auto shops are located, and a precast concrete factory.

Now, it serves as a government office and client service centre, as well as continuing to be home to a branch of the Ottawa Public Library and the Centrepointe Theatre.

The studio was home to shows such as Graham Kerr's The Galloping Gourmet, and the cult children's classic You Can't Do That on Television.