Before its incorporation on March 23, 1960, La Mirada was once part of the Los Nietos diseño, but through inheritance the original territory was broken up into other smaller pieces, including Rancho Los Coyotes. In 1988, Andrew McNally, a printer and mapmaker from Chicago purchased more than 2,200 acres of Rancho Los Coyotes for $200,000.
He developed 700 acres into his own home called Windermere Ranch and surrounded it with olive, orange and lemon groves.
In 1901, he turned over The McNally Olive Oil Company and Windermere Ranch to his daughter Nannie and her husband, Edwin Neff. The Neff's appointed Robert McGill as the head accountant of the companies which flourished for 40 years under his care. The Windermere Ranch grew lemons and grapefruit but it was olive oil that made the ranch famous.
By 1956, and under other ownership, thirteen tacks, 7,800 homes, had been built and the majority were sold. As families moved into the new development shopping centers, places of worship, and roads were built to sustain the growing community.
The city became Los Angeles County's 68th city under the name Mirada Hills. Wanting to return to the original name Andre McNally gave the land, "Proposition T" was introduced in the November elections of 1960 to change the city's name back to La Mirada. Prop T was approved by 80 percent, making La Mirada the county’s city to change its name by its citizens. By 1965, most of the unincorporated area surrounding La Mirada had been annexed.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.9 square miles. 7.8 square miles of it is land and 0.02 square miles of it (0.22%) is water, and the population is close to 50,000 people.
In 2006, La Mirada was placed 34th on a list compiled CNN Money Magazine's "Best Place to Live" list. La Mirada placed 34th on the list. It cited as two of the city’s main attributes, the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and Splash! La Mirada Regional Aquatics Center. The city is also home to Biola University, a private Christian institution.
Olympic gold medalist and softball player Jennie Finch, country singer Gary Allan and NBA player Derrick Williams were born and raised in La Mirada.