From historical data, scattered findings and archaeological explorations in recent years, this part of the Great Plain was inhabited as far back as the Great Migrations. Because of the natural resources and the convergence of trade routes, Huns, Vandals, Gepids, Goths, Avars, frequently alternated with one another in this area. In the first phase of the reign of the Árpád Dynasty, this area was inhabited by populous communities. The first written mention of Szoboszló dates back to 1075, when King Géza I. donated half of Szoboszló's royal duty taxes to the new abbacy to be established at Garamszentbenedek. With his deed of gift, decorated with his coat of arms and dated on 2 September 1606, István Bocskai, Prince of Transylvania provided homes for 700 Hajdú (Heyduck) cavalrymen at the site of Szoboszló, which had formerly been destroyed by the Tartars of Crimea. This is why the prefix "Hajdú" was attached to the settlement's name of Slavonic origin. But this form - Hajdúszoboszló - only became widespread in the 19th century. The town led the customary, toilsome life of the small agricultural, stock-breeding towns of Hajdú County, until the end of the first third of the 20th century.
The upswing of the town commenced from 26 October 1925, with the breaking up of the thermal spring. The medicinal water received an ever increasing role. The town's development into a resort place started and agriculture retained its significant role even after the discovery of the gas field
