Papillion is a city in Sarpy County in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is the county
seat of Sarpy County6. Papillion is a suburb of neighboring Omaha. Local residents use the nickname Papio to refer to the city.
Geography
Papillion is located at 41°9′21″N, 96°2′27″W (41.155884,
-96.040867)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 10.8 km² (4.2 mi²), all land.
History
Papillion was founded in 1870 and the county seat was moved there from Bellevue a few years later due to its location in the
center of Sarpy County and its location on the main line of the Union Pacific Railroad, where its depot was the first stop by
trains leaving Omaha for points west.
The city was named for the French word papillon meaning butterfly, when early explorers found large numbers of
the insects resting on the muddy banks of the small creek which flows through the city on its way to the bottom lands where the
Missouri and Platte Rivers meet. The school sports symbol (Monarchs) for many years was the Monarch Butterfly, but starting in
the 1960s, the butterfly symbol was dropped in favor of a "King", but retaining the word "Monarch". A second high school was
developed in the southern part of the city which bares the name "Titans," the two schools share a healthy rivalry.
The population of Papillion remained below 1000 until 1950, reached 2500 in 1960 and grew significantly during the
cold war due to its proximity to Omaha and expansion of nearby Offutt AFB.
In 2007, Money Magazine named it sixth-best place to live in America, partly due to
the new open-air mall Shadow Lake Towne Center and shopping/eating strip-malls area Market Pointe. It had also renovated its downtown and one of its major parks, as well as opening an
amphitheater. It had been ranked 23rd by the magazine in 2005.
City Life
The City itself prides itself on its vast array of recreational areas. Halleck Park is a 4x5 block park in the heart of
Papillion. The park includes many trails, open spaces, trees and a number of areas of interest next to it including: Papio Fun
Park, Papio Pool, and Papio Bowl. In addition to trails, trees and much green space, inside the park you will find tennis courts,
volleyball courts, "The Duck Pond", Monarch Field ("The Pit"), and E.A. Fricke Field. There are also 5 other baseball diamonds
within the park for youth (not including those at Papio Bay). City Park, Papio Bay Aquatic Center (including 4 baseball diamonds)
and Walnut Creek recreational park round out just a few of the many parks and recreational interest points of the city.
Papillion Junior High School is located in the old downtown area south of Papio Creek, as is the Old A.W. Clarke banking
house, Sump Memorial Library, City Hall, Portal One-Room School House, Papillion Municipal Building (Sarpy County Courthouse
until 1970), and the John Sutter House.
To the south along Highway 370 lies the Sarpy County Court House and Jail, Shadow Lake Shopping Center, and Midlands
hospital.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 16,363 people, 5,505 households, and 4,337 families residing
in the city. The population density was 1,515.1/km² (3,927.9/mi²). The 2006
population estimate is 21,271 [1]. There were 5,751 housing units at an average density of 532.5/km²
(1,380.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.02% White, 2.46% African American, 0.38% Native American, 1.41% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.00% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.92% of the population. In 2005, the population
had grown to over 19,000 people with another 10,000 or more living in subdivisions outside the city limits which will probably be
annexed before the next census. It is expected that Papillion will eventually become the fourth largest city in Nebraska by
2020.
There were 5,505 households out of which 46.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.3% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were
non-families. 17.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.30.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.6% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from
45 to 64, and 8.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $63,992, and the median income for a family was $70,737. Males had a median
income of $45,678 versus $27,984 for females. The per capita income for the city was
$24,521. About 2.5% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.[citation needed]
Schools
Papillion is part of the Papillion-La Vista Public School District.
There are two high schools located in the city. Papillion-La Vista South High School (built in 2003)
is located in southwest Papillion while Papillion-La Vista High
School is located in the north. Papillion has one junior high and six public
elementary schools in the city. The school district has well over 8000 students and is
one of the fastest growing districts in Nebraska.
External links
Coordinates:
41.155884° N 96.040867°
W
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