Red Hook, Brooklyn - Definition and Overview

Red Hook is a neighborhood of the Borough of Brooklyn, New York. Before annexation into Brooklyn, Red Hook was a separate village. It is named for the red clay soil and the point of land projecting into the East River. The village was settled by the Dutch colonists of New Amsterdam in 1636, and named Roode Hoek. Today, the area is home to about 11,000 people.

Red Hook is part of the area known as South Brooklyn. It is actually a peninsula formed by the Gowanus Canal at the southern edge of Downtown Brooklyn, and is north of the geographic center of the borough. The term South Brooklyn derives from its location in reference to the original Village of Brooklyn, rather than the much larger borough.