Just for a lark, a look at two burgs named Hyde Park

By Laura Mecham

April 20, 2007 | HYDE PARK -- A newcomer to Cache Valley may look at city names such as Logan and Smithfield and think very little of them, but what about Hyde Park? It's a name associated with Hyde Park, N.Y., and one of America's most famous presidents.

Hyde Park, Utah, does not have the history of Hyde Park, N.Y., nor is it the birthplace of anyone akin to Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Yet, could two regions, thousands of miles apart but sharing the same name, hold any similarities?

According to the 2004 census, Hyde Park, Utah, has about 3,000 residents and is 3.2 square miles, while Hyde Park, N.Y., has 20,851 residents and is 39.8 square miles. Despite the vast difference in numbers, with six times more residents in Hyde Park, N.Y., it is considered a town and Hyde Park, Utah, is a city.

With Utah being the baby-producer it is, it may not be surprising that about 60 percent of the households in Hyde Park, Utah, have children under the age of 18. Hyde Park, N.Y., on the other hand, only has about 34 percent.

What about their names? Could there be common roots between the two? They are spelled and said precisely the same way, which could lead one to believe so.

Hyde Park, New York, was settled in about 1742 and was originally named "Stoutenburgh" after an earlier settler. In 1804, a resident of the area, Dr. John Bard, called his estate "Hyde Park" after the governor of New York, Edward Hyde. The owner of a local tavern with slow business renamed the pub "Hyde Park Inn" much to the dismay of Bard. The owner then applied for a post office to be put in his tavern. His request was granted and the post office was named "Hyde Park Post Office." With residents' mailing addresses reflecting the name of "Hyde Park," many began calling the area after the same name and soon afterward, in 1812, the name "Hyde Park" became the area's official title.

Hyde Park, Utah, however, has a much simpler and entirely unrelated history. It was named after an LDS bishop, William Hyde, in 1860, who was told there was a spring in the area. After locating it, he decided to settle there.

While it would seem the two are simply incomparable at this point, some interesting comparisons arise. One might assume the two would have very different racial demographics as Utah is often considered an undiversified state.

The demographic results, however, may be surprising. Hyde Park, Utah, is about 98 percent Caucasian and 0.14 percent African American.

Hyde Park, New York, which some may assume would produce significantly different results, is about 91 percent Caucasian and 4.25 percent African-American, comparable to the little city in Cache Valley.

The demographic similarities continue. The median income for a household in Hyde Park, Utah, is $51,750 and $50,870, in Hyde Park, N.Y.. In Hyde Park, Utah, there are about 3.7 percent of families and 3.4 percent of the population who are below the poverty line, including 3.0 percent of those under age 18 and 5.9 percent of those over the age of 65. Similarly, in Hyde Park, N.Y., there are about 4.4 percent of families and 5.7 percent of the population who are below the poverty line, including 5.3 percent of those under age 18 and 6.0 per cent of those over the age of 65.

So, while the regions differ greatly in population size, history and overall area, similarities do arise. Hyde Park, Utah, doesn't have enormous estates, house the Culinary Institute of America or sit beside the Hudson River, yet its demographics are surprisingly similar to those of its New York counterpart.

Who would have guessed?

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