It was first established in 1834 and was originally named "Dibbleville" after Clark Dibble, one of the first settlers.

It was platted in 1837 as "Fentonville" by William M. Fenton[5] who later became lieutenant governor of Michigan.

In the 1970s, the city leveled its downtown buildings and closed Leroy Street as part of an urban renewal plan.

[7] On August 24, 2007, an EF2 tornado hit Fenton, damaging several homes and a school, and almost completely destroying the soon to be opened Tractor Supply Company, tearing off its roof.

This left many people without power, putting the city in a state of emergency.

[8] In July 2011, the first proposed building, Cornerstone, to restore the city's old downtown area was announced.

The Genesee County portion represents 98.29% of Fenton's area and 99.99% of its population.

The other 10 live in Fenton's Livingston County portion, which has a land area of 0.11 square miles (0.28 km2).

A minuscule portion with no residents extends into Oakland County with a land area of 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2).

The racial makeup of the city was 93% White, 1.6% African American, 0.5% Asian, and 4.7% from two or more races.

34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

34.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.