[5] The first European-American settlers in Flat Rock were Michael Vreeland and his five grown sons between 1811 and 1820.

Vreeland had been captured by British Rangers during the Revolutionary War and released after American independence.

The Vreeland families built the first grain and lumber mill, having brought the grinding stones from New York.

[citation needed] The first mention of any settlers in the area later to become Flat Rock was made by a French priest, Father Jean Dilhet.

In describing his parish in 1798 he included "Grosse Roche", referring to a settlement named after the outcropping of limestone rock on the south side of the Huron River.

Vreeland and Smooth Rock villages were platted on part of this acreage.

At this time there were Huron, Seneca, and Wyandot Indian villages in the area.

With the Erie Canal opening in 1825, many people, especially from New York, came to Michigan to settle.

The Flat Rock Dam was constructed to provide hydroelectricity to the factory.

In 2021, Ford Motor Company dumped benzene into the city sewer system, causing 1,100 people to evacuate their homes.

[6] Flat Rock is in southern Wayne County, but a very small portion of the city lies to the south in Monroe County, because the border along the Huron River follows the course of the river in 1923, the year Flat Rock was incorporated as a village.

U.S. Route 24 (Telegraph Road) passes through the center of Flat Rock, leading north 14 miles (23 km) to the western part of Dearborn and southwest the same distance to Monroe.

Interstate 75 runs along the eastern border of Flat Rock, with direct access from Exit 29 (Gibraltar Road).

[citation needed] In December 2019 Flat Rock had an unemployment rate of 6.5%, higher than the US average of 3.7%.