The name Boa Vista has its origin in the exclamation "Captain, good sight (boa vista)", instead of the traditional "Land at sight", due to the joy of a sailor in the dormer window of a sailing vessel which faced a fearful tempest. Initially dependent on one of the ports under the command of a captain in the island of Santiago, the occupancy of that island started in 1497, when it was given to Captam Rodrigo Afonso for the raising of cattle in the hands of a small number of shepherds.

Its population began in 1620. In this year the first settlement, Povoação Velha, was established when a group of Englishmen started to extract salt which contributed significantly to an improvement in the economy of the island, consequently attracting other industries, such as cloth weaving and ceramics. From this time on, the island had great prosperity and it became an important cultural centre in the Archipelago.

A little later pirates, attracted by the products it manufactured, discovered Boa Vista. The island then suffered a series of crippling raids between 1815 and 1817. To protect against such attacks, the Duque de Bragança Fort was built on the islet of Sal Rei. Boavista is considered the birthplace of the 'morna' which is the main musical genre of Cape Verde. This word had its origin in the English verb "to mourn", which means to cry or to lament.

In 1843 the island was the centre of the Portuguese-British Commission for the abolishment of slavery.