Originally named Greasy Bend in reference to the local hog fattening industry, the settlement was established in the early 1890s by farmers. The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad reached the town in 1893 and the settlement was subsequently renamed Parkhurst in reference to one of the railroad's officials. Not long afterwards, the town renamed again to Boyd to avoid possible confusion with the nearby Park Springs.
Geography
Boyd is located at . The town has a total area of, all land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,099 people, 407 households, and 306 families residing in the town. The population density was 382.1 people per square mile. There were 435 housing units at an average density of 151.2/sq mi. The racial makeup of the town was 87.99% White, 0.36% African American, 1.36% Native American, 0.18% Pacific Islander, 7.83% from other races, and 2.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.01% of the population. There were 407 households, out of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couplesliving together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.6% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.13. In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.9% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $35,438, and the median income for a family was $40,781. Males had a median income of $29,219 versus $22,237 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,929. About 15.6% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.9% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The Town of Boyd is served by the Boyd Independent School District. The school district includes four schools — elementary, intermediate, middle, and high schools. Recently, a new Boyd High School was constructed. It is three times the size of the former high school building, needed to accommodate a growing population.
Notable people
Murry Hammond from the Dallas-based rock band the Old 97's is from Boyd.
Peter Mayhew, most famous for his role as Chewbacca in the Star Wars films, resided in Boyd until his death in 2019.
Sports
Boyd's High School football team, the Boyd Yellowjackets, are the 1983 AA & 2004 Division I — AA State Champions. The Yellowjackets were also 1999 AA Division I State Finalists. The Lady Jacket basketball team went to the AA State Finals in 1980 and 2001. The Boys Cross Country team went to the AAA State meet in 2017.
