The name of the city comes from the word for "white" in Japanese, 白い。[2] Shiroi is located in northwestern Chiba Prefecture, with an elevation of 20 to 30 meters above sea level.

Chiba Prefecture Shiroi has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall.

Shiroi Village was created within Inba District, Chiba Prefecture on April 1, 1885 with the early Meiji period establishment of the modern municipalities system.

As the Japanese economy grew in the 1970s, many people moved from the country to the cities, and the growth of Tokyo sent many residents out to suburbs in the Kantō countryside.

Shiroi's real growth began during this period: its rail connection to Chiba city was completed in 1979, and it was linked directly to the Tokyo railway network in 1991.