Choctaw became a community in 1890, but was not given actual status as a town until 1893 when a territorial governor was appointed for Oklahoma.

[6] Despite its name, the town has no cultural, historical or governmental ties to the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

The tribal headquarters and casino are located in the southeastern part of the state in Durant, Oklahoma, and the Choctaw Capitol Building and annual Labor Day Festival are in Tuskahoma, Oklahoma.

Before Choctaw was chartered, the area included a part of William McClure's 7C Ranch and was known for a trading post and a camping spot near a spring.

When Oklahoma became a state in 1907, the town had 230 residents, four churches, a school, a bank, a newspaper and telephone service.

Choctaw is located in the Cross Timbers ecoregion and the Frontier Country tourism region.

Choctaw has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfa) and lies in an area known as Tornado Alley, characterized by frequent interaction between cold and warm air masses producing severe weather.

The town has a small museum dedicated to beer steins, the Stramski Collection.

Choctaw High School's Varsity Academic Team, coached by Paula Sendall, is ranked 1st in Oklahoma as of 2017 and has been invited to multiple national-level competitions after winning the 6A State Championship in February 2017.

Ticket to Rose provides a scholarship for tuition and mandatory fees for all graduates of Choctaw High School.