With the growth of Lyon and the extension of its urban area into communes such as Villeurbanne, the limits of the department were judged impractical as they left the suburbs of Lyon outside of Rhône.

[5] Lyon, although no longer part of the department, remains its administrative center.

The neighboring departments are Ain, Isère, Loire and Saône-et-Loire.

As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:[2] The President of the Departmental Council is Christophe Guilloteau, a member of the Republicans (LR).

This list includes representatives from Lyon Metropolis created in 2015 as a separate department.