In 1950 a class of generalized Petersen graphs was introduced by Coxeter and around 1970 popularized by Frucht, Graver and Watkins. The family of $I$-graphs mentioned in 1988 by Bouwer et al. represents a slight further albeit important generalization of the renowned Petersen graph. We show that each $I$-graph $I(n,j,k)$ admits a unit-distance representation in the Euclidean plane. This implies that each generalized Petersen graph admits a unit-distance representation in the Euclidean plane. In particular, we show that every $I$-graph $I(n,j,k)$ has an isomorphic $I$-graph that admits a unit-distance representation in the Euclidean plane with a $n$-fold rotational symmetry, with the exception of the families $I(n,j,j)$ and $I(12m,m,5m)$, $m{geq}1$. We also provide unit-distance representations for these graphs.