According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.0 square miles, of which 37.9 square miles is land and 1.1 square miles is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,847 people, 1,138 households, and 780 families residing in the town. The population density was 75.2 people per square mile. There were 1,220 housing units at an average density of 32.2/sq mi. The racial makeup of the town was 97.75% White, 0.53% Black or African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.39% Asian, and 0.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population. There were 1,138 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were couples living together and joined in either marriage or civil union, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.92. In the town, the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $38,650, and the median income for a family was $44,185. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $25,304 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,293. About 3.2% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
Villages and bygone villages
Garfield is located in the northeast corner of Hyde Park. In the late 1800s, Garfield was a village with a store, a post office, a school, and two sawmills. In 1922 the sawmill owned by Charles William Manning burned down and he decided not to replace it, causing the loss of many jobs. Residents began to leave Garfield. Eventually their abandoned farms reverted to wilderness. The area remains thickly wooded and sparsely developed to this day. It is best known as the Morrisvilleturnoff point for the Green River Reservoir State Park.
