It is widely known as "City of the Sun" (Ciudad del Sol) and the urban part of it also comprises the town of El Belloto, an area that showed rapid growth in the late 1990s.

Quilpué is connected to Santiago through the Route 68, with an estimated travel time of 1.15h by car and 1.30h by inter-regional bus services, that departs and arrive mostly from Pajaritos metro and interchange station, west of the national capital.

Local attractions include a zoo (the only one in the Valparaíso Region), and the rural towns of Colliguay and the Marga-Marga Valley, both with facilities for camping and hiking.

As a commune, Quilpué is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by a mayor (alcalde) who is directly elected every four years.

For the years 2024–2028, the mayor is Carolina Corti Badía (RN) and the council members are:[1] Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Quilpué is represented in the Chamber of Deputies for the years 2022-2026 by Andrés Longton (RN), Camila Flores (RN), Chiara Barchiesi (REP), Diego Ibáñez (FA), Francisca Bello (FA), Nelson Venegas (PS), Carolina Marzán (PPD) and Gaspar Rivas (PDG) as part of the 6th electoral district, (together with Olmué, Limache, Villa Alemana, La Ligua, Petorca, Cabildo, Zapallar, Papudo, Quintero, Puchuncaví, Quillota, Nogales, Hijuelas, La Calera, La Cruz, San Felipe, Panquehue, Catemu, Putaendo, Santa María, Llay-Llay, Los Andes, Calle Larga, San Esteban and Rinconada).