La Mirada is a city in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of the cities that make up the Gateway Cities. The population was 46,783 at the 2000 census. It is best known as the home of Biola University, 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 (23 m) 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.