High Island is an unincorporated community located in the Bolivar Peninsula census-designated place, Galveston County, Texas, United States. The community is located in the extreme eastern part of the county on Bolivar Peninsula, less than one mile from Chambers County and less than two miles from Jefferson County. , 500 people resided in High Island. The 2010 census did not record a population for High Island. The Houston Audubon Society operates four bird sanctuaries in the area, and the community is a nationally famous destination for birdwatchers particularly from April 1 to May 15. Sea Rim State Park is in nearby Jefferson County, but it is inaccessible by State Highway 87, which has been closed since 1990. History High Island once had a large number of producing oil wells and was served by the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway's branch line to Port Bolivar. Following the 1942 abandonment of trackage on the Bolivar Peninsula, High Island became the new terminus of the line until Santa Fe Railway removed its bobtail-truss swing bridge over Mud Bayou in 1969. In the early 1970s, several victims of serial killer Dean Corll were buried by him and his accomplices at High Island's beach. Six bodies were recovered by law enforcement personnel in August 1973. In 1986, Hurricane Bonnie made landfall near High Island. And in 2007, Hurricane Humberto made landfall near High Island as well. 2008 saw Hurricane Ike impact High Island with significant storm surge and winds up to 110 mph (178 km/h). After Hurricane Ike the United States Postal Service temporarily relocated High Island post office box services to Winnie, Texas. Geography 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 38 feet, 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 hurricanes' storm surge. The main route from Houston to High Island is to travel along Interstate 45 to Galveston, take the ferry to Port Bolivar, and then travel east to High