A post office called Shiloh was established in 1874.[3] The community was named after the local Shiloh Baptist Church, which in turn took its name from Shiloh, a place mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.[4]
Shiloh is located in the northeast corner of Harris County along Alternate U.S. Route 27, which leads southwest 33 miles (53 km) to Columbus and north 6 miles (10 km) to Warm Springs. Georgia State Route 85 runs east of the city, leading northeast 6 miles (10 km) to Manchester. Georgia State Route 116 intersects Alternate U.S. Route 27 in the city, leading east 10 miles (16 km) to Woodland and west 13 miles (21 km) to Hamilton. Atlanta is 78 miles (126 km) by road to the northeast. The city is located in the Piedmont region of the state.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Shiloh has a total area of 2.3 square miles (5.9 km2), of which 0.03 square miles (0.07 km2), or 1.19%, are water.[2]