Mariano Reyes Roldan was granted 6,698 acres (27 km2) in that year and named his land Rancho Cañada de La Habra.

[7] The first post office in the town was established in 1898 in a corner of Coy's Store at Central (now La Habra Boulevard) and Euclid Street.

The police force was organized in 1926 and employed a chief, traffic officer and patrolman.

The Civic Center took shape when the existing County Library was dedicated in 1966, followed by the present administration building in 1969.

Law enforcement is provided by the La Habra Police Department, which in 2008 employed about 70 officers.

From 2004 to 2008, they ranked third in the number of officer-involved shootings among twenty Orange County municipal police departments.

[11] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.4 square miles (19 km2), with 0.08% covered by water.

It is bordered by La Habra Heights on the north, Brea on the east, Fullerton on the south and southeast, La Mirada on the west and southwest, East Whittier on the west, Whittier on the northwest, and a small unnamed section of unincorporated Los Angeles County on the northeast.

According to the 2010 United States Census, La Habra had a median household income of $60,954, with 14.0% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

[32] At the 2000 census, 58,974 people in 18,947 households, including 14,020 families, lived in the city.

[36] Current council members include Mayor Pro-Tem Jose Medrano, James Gomez, Daren Nigsarian and Delwin Lampkin.

In the California State Legislature, La Habra is in the 34th Senate District, represented by Democrat Tom Umberg, and in the 64th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Blanca Pacheco.

[38] According to the California secretary of state, as of October 22, 2018, La Habra has 27,439 registered voters.

[39] The city of La Habra is mainly served by the La Habra City School District for elementary and middle-school students and the Fullerton Joint Union High School District for high-school students, but portions of La Habra are also redirected to other school districts closer to homes of some residents.