Szoboszló lies at an altitude of scarcely 100 to 110 metres (328–361 ft) above sea level and slopes slightly towards Hortobágy.

Because of the natural resources and the convergence of trade routes, Huns, Vandals, Gepids, Goths, and Avars frequently alternated with one another in this area.

With an ornate deed of gift dated 2 September 1606, István Bocskai, Prince of Transylvania, provided smallholdings for 700 Hajdú (Heyduck) cavalrymen at the site of Szoboszló, which had been destroyed by the Crimean Tartars.

Henceforth the prefix Hajdú was attached to the settlement's previous Slavonic name, though the compound form - Hajdúszoboszló - only became widespread in the 19th century.

The medicinal water, tinged with natural iodine, led to the town's development into a resort spa, while agriculture retained its significant role even after the discovery of the gas field.