What is the geography of High Island, Texas?
High Island lies on the eastern side of Galveston Bay, just inland from the Gulf of Mexico. Located on the mainland, High Island’s name comes from the large salt dome under the area. This salt dome raises the elevation of the area to around 40 feet (12 meters), giving High Island the highest elevation of any point on the Gulf coast from Mobile, Alabama to the Yucatán Peninsula. The metaphorical “island” (the term island is used to describe other Gulf Coast salt domes, such as Avery Island in Louisiana) has often served to protect its residents from the effects of tropical cyclonehurricanes’ storm surge.
