Parts of the town was within the borders of the Mikawa Wan Quasi-National Park.

The area around Atsumi has been settled since prehistoric times, and numerous Jōmon period remains have been found in the area, including shell middens.

In the Edo period, the part of the area was under the control of Tahara Domain, and part was administered as tenryō directly by the Tokugawa shogunate.

The area was unable to support commercial agriculture until the completion of large-scale irrigation projects in the 1960s.

On October 1, 2005, Atsumi was merged into the expanded city of Tahara, and has ceased to exist as an independent municipality.