[4] Wink was a temporary childhood home to singer and songwriter Roy Orbison, although he was born in Vernon, Texas.

[note 1][6] Wink began in 1926, when oil was discovered in Hendrick oilfield in Winkler County.

By mid-1927, the Wink Townsite Company was selling lots in Horse Wells pasture of the T. G. Hendrick Ranch.

The oil boom brought new people to Wink, causing a shortage of housing.

[7][8] The boom brought lawlessness to Wink, including bootlegging, prostitution, and gambling.

On October 16, 1928, District Judge Charles Klapproth declared the incorporation election void, and the city government was reorganized.

Five hospitals and 15 doctors served injured oilfield workers, expectant mothers, and epidemic victims.

National attention focused on the small oil town, which used the money for paving and curb and gutter work.

At the end of the 1980s, Wink operated on a limited budget, based on low tax rates.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2), all land.

[9] According to the NOAA's National Weather Service, Wink is often one of the hottest locations in the United States for daily maximum shade temperatures.

[10] As of the 2020 United States census, there were 915 people, 314 households, and 262 families residing in the city.