Red Hook is a waterfront neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, located along the East River. Founded as Roode Hoek ("red point"), the area was named for its red clay soil, and it was the busiest port in the world during the 1920s. However, the advent of shipping containers led to Red Hook becoming poor during the 1930s, and it became the "crack capital of America" and the worst neighborhood in the United States by 1990; in 1992, high school principal Patrick Daly was murdered by drug dealers while searching for a missing pupil. During the 21st century, Red Hook underwent some degree of gentrification, as it ceased to be one of the worst neighborhoods in the city.