The municipality includes the following boroughs (frazioni): Castellace, Messignadi, Piminoro, and Tresilico.

The Taurani, Oscan-speaking Italic people from Bruttii, built a large town at the site of Mella[3] near the present Oppido Vecchio in the 4th c. BC after taking over peacefully from Greek Locri, some 15 miles away.

Later after supporting Hannibal in the 2nd Punic War (218–201 BC), the Tauriani returned to the protection of the Romans who later expanded the town.

[7] The town achieved a sad notoriety in July 2014 when, two weeks after Pope Francis, visiting Calabria, had publicly excommunicated the Mafia, a procession carrying a statue of the Madonna stopped to pay homage outside the house of a home confined local mafia leader.

Many inhabitants moved to the industrial centres in northern Italy or joined the Italian diaspora to escape the extreme poverty.