It is best known as the home of Biola University (formerly the Bible Institute of Los Angeles), an evangelical Christian institution of higher education. It is also the home of the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. McCoy/Rigby Entertainment produces six musicals per season. The company includes the actress-gymnast Cathy Rigby, noted for starring in the staged production of Peter Pan.
Splash!, a pirate-themed aquatics center, had its grand opening celebrations on November 10 and 11th, 2007. The center includes a 50-meter pool, 25-yard pool, and a fun area titled "Buccaneer Bay" which has three water slides, a lazy river, and much more.
The City of La Mirada was named a “Best Place to Live” by CNN Money Magazine. La Mirada placed 34th on the list, with the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and the Splash! La Mirada Regional Aquatics Center as two of its main attributes. The list features 100 U.S. cities with 7,500 to 50,000 citizens with a population that is less than 90% Caucasian. California had the most nominations with eight other cities making the list. The nominations were based on data such as low crime rates, education scores, population growth, accessibility, housing affordability, school quality, arts and leisure opportunities and racial diversity.
As of the census of 2000, there were 46,783 people, 14,580 households, and 11,518 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,301.0/km² (5,960.6/mi²). There were 14,811 housing units at an average density of 728.5/km² (1,887.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.46% White, 1.93% Black or African American, 0.75% American Indian, 14.88% Asian, 0.27% Pacific Islander, 13.64% from other races, and 4.08% from two or more races. 33.47% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 14,580 households out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.1% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.0% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.10 and the average family size was 3.49.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $61,632, and the median income for a family was $66,598 (these figures had risen to $77,952 and $87,037 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $47,364 versus $31,993 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,404. About 3.7% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.
La Mirada's main arterial streets are Rosecrans Avenue and Imperial Highway. Valley View Avenue, La Mirada Boulevard, and Santa Gertrudes Avenue are other important arterials. Interstate 5 passes through the southwest corner of the city, while Beach Boulevard (CA-39) passes through the east end of the city.
Freight railroad traffic through the city is handled by BNSF Railway on its right-of-way in the southwest portion of the city. Metrolink operates commuter rail service on this right-of-way; the nearest stations to La Mirada are Buena Park and Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs.
Public transportation is provided by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) and Norwalk Transit.