[3] The city is part of the larger five-county metro area of Omaha.

The name Papillion is derived from the French term (papillon) for butterfly.

According to local tradition, the early French explorers named the creek as Papillon because they saw so many butterflies along its grassy banks.

[5] Papillion (sometimes referred to as "Papio" by its residents) is one of the last of the late 18th-century, Paris-inspired frontier cities left in the Midwestern United States.

The diamonds are sited on three fields: Halleck, Blonde, and Papio Bay.

Village Park, Papio Bay Aquatic Center (including two water slides and a zero depth pool) and Walnut Creek recreational park are among the other recreational amenities in the city.

Other areas of interest in Papillion include the Sarpy County Court House and Jail, Shadow Lake Towne Center, and Midlands Hospital, all along Nebraska Highway 370 in the southern portion of the city.

Werner Park, located 3 miles (4.8 km) west of the city on Highway 370 in unincorporated Sarpy County, opened in 2011 as the new home of the Omaha Storm Chasers of the Pacific Coast League.

They have been the only Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, an expansion club that entered the American League in 1969.

[7] The 2020 United States census[10] counted 24,159 people, 8,934 households, and 6,508 families in Papillion.

23.2% of households consisted of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The mayor is the head of the city council and is elected at-large to four-year terms.

Papillion is home to Nebraska Christian College, accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education.