Best Web Design in La Mirada, CA (2026)

Web Design for La Mirada, California

La Mirada is a planned suburban city on the Los Angeles-Orange County border in southeastern Los Angeles County, part of the Gateway Cities. It grew from an 1888 ranch bought by Rand McNally co-founder Andrew McNally into a mid-century master-planned community. Home to Biola University and a well-regarded performing-arts theatre, the city carries the motto 'Dedicated to Service.'

AppWT works with La Mirada, CA businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About La Mirada

Also known as. The look / the gaze (Spanish meaning of 'La Mirada'). Mirada Hills (original incorporated name). The Nation's completely planned city (1950s marketing).

History. The land was once part of Rancho Los Coyotes; in 1888 Chicago printer and mapmaker Andrew McNally, a co-founder of Rand McNally, purchased more than 2,200 acres and named the ranch and its rail station La Mirada, Spanish for 'the look.' McNally developed the area with his son-in-law Edwin Neff, envisioning gentleman's ranches on 20-acre parcels. The city incorporated as 'Mirada Hills' on March 23, 1960, becoming Los Angeles County's 68th city. Voters approved Proposition T in November 1960 (about 80% in favor) to restore the name La Mirada, making it the first city in the county to change its name by a vote of its citizens.

Local economy. Biola University is the largest employer, with roughly 1,365 employees. Other top employers include the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District, US Foodservice, Kindred Hospital La Mirada, and the City of La Mirada itself. The city has an industrial and distribution base and has been recognized for strong fiscal health, ranking among California's most financially stable cities. La Mirada's unemployment rate has run below county, state, and national averages.

Culture and community. The La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts is a premier cultural venue hosting Broadway-caliber productions, concerts, and local shows. Biola University, an evangelical Christian institution, gives the city a large student presence and hosts Theatre 21 near its main entrance. As part of the Gateway Cities on the LA/Orange County line, La Mirada blends suburban Los Angeles County culture with proximity to Orange County. Notable people connected to the city include country singer Gary Allan, Olympic softball star Jennie Finch, and actor Eric Winter.

What makes La Mirada distinct. La Mirada was the first city in Los Angeles County to change its name by a vote of its citizens, via 1960's Proposition T. The city was founded on land bought by Andrew McNally, co-founder of the Rand McNally map and publishing company. The name means 'the look' or 'the gaze' in Spanish and originally belonged to an 1888 railroad station built to link Los Angeles and San Diego. In the early 1950s it was marketed as 'the Nation's completely planned city.'

Master-planned Gateway City on the Los Angeles and Orange County line that grew from agricultural groves and was promoted in the 1950s as a completely planned residential community.

La Mirada Landmarks and Local Life

• La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts - Regional performing arts venue
• Biola University - Private evangelical Christian university
• Splash! La Mirada Regional Aquatics Center - Public regional aquatics center
• La Mirada Community Regional Park - County regional park with an 18-hole golf course and a large disc golf course
• Neff Park - Park at the historic Neff Estate, listed on the National Register of Historic Places

La Mirada at a Glance

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023.

• Median household income: About $110,177
• Adults with a bachelor degree or higher: About 39.7%
• Housing: About 76.3% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied
• Housing: Around 77.8% of homes are single-family detached houses