Did You Know

The following are some interesting facts about Fenton, Michigan that you may not have known.

  • The first police car purchased by the City was a Chevrolet Special Deluxe Town Sedan. We bought it in 1942 for $900.
  • The Fenton Police Department responded to over 9,000 calls for service in 2005.
  • The City maintains over 170 acres of parks throughout the City.
  • There are over 60 miles of streets in the City.
  • Our first occupants of the Fenton Jail were Sylvester Sheridan and Frank Renigan in 1869.
  • To become a firefighter, you need over 300 hours of basic fire training.
  • Our Fire Department has an Explorer program designed to enable young adults to gain experience and knowledge in firefighting.
  • The Fenton Fire Department was founded on March 9, 1875. It is the second oldest in the County behind Flint.
  • The Fenton Depot is on the National Register of Historic Places. It now houses our Economic Development office.
  • The Fire Department has the capability to flow water through our trucks at over 5,000 gallons per minute.
  • The standard in the Fire Department industry is for trucks to be in service for 20 years.
  • The City pumped over 348 million gallons through our water plant last year.
  • The City has a chipping program for limbs and brush that runs from May to October each year. Contact City Hall at 810-629-2261 for more details.
  • The Fire Department has a "Free Smoke Detector" program for city residents who are in need of smoke detectors for their home. Contact the fire department for information: 629-8595.
  • The City of Fenton Fire Department has an ISO (Insurance Service Organization) rating of "Class 4." This puts Fenton in the top 15% of departments in the state for protection class ratings.
  • The longest currently serving member of the Fire Department is Assistant Chief Charles Koan with 41 years of service to the Department.
  • Many of Fenton's streets, such as Caroline, Ann and Ellen, are named for family members of Col. William Fenton or Robert LeRoy.
  • Fenton's main north-south road, LeRoy Street, named for Robert LeRoy, is pronounced "Leh-Roy" and not "LEE-Roy." Years of street signage in all capital letters erased the distinction.
  • Fenton existed as Dibbleville for 3 years before becoming Fentonville in 1837, the same year of Michigan's statehood. Incorporation as the Village of Fenton came in 1863 and cityhood followed 101 years later in 1964. See the History Of Fenton.
  • On the south side of Fenton lies the old Fenton Seminary. Alice Chipman Dewey, a pioneering woman in education and the wife of famed pragmatist John Dewey, had attended the seminary.
  • Captain Charles Leighton, the navigator of the famed Memphis Belle, was a teacher at Fenton High School after World War 2, from 1947 to 1954. The Memphis Belle, part of the 8th Air Force, was the first B-17 to fly 25 missions over Europe. The story of the Belle was told in a 1944 documentary and a 1990 feature film.
  • The City of Fenton has 17 designated Parks (140 acres) that are mowed on a regular basis. 
  • Silver Lake Park is open in the summer. Come out and test the water. We also have a concession stand that is open on days that weather permits. Come and see what we have to offer.
  • You can rent a park pavilion for any function. Just come to City Hall and they will process your request.
  • From 1970 until 2011 the City of Fenton has increased population from around 6,800 to today's total of approximately 12,000, nearly doubling in just over 40 years.
  • Col. William M. Fenton, the City's namesake, was in his 50s when he served in the Civil War and had previously been a lawyer as well as State Senator and Lieutenant Governor of Michigan.