| Fitzgerald | |
| Other Name: | Fort Fitzgerald Smith's Landing |
| Settlement Type: | unincorporated community |
| Pushpin Map: | Canada Alberta |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Fitzgerald in Alberta |
| Coordinates: | 59.8597°N -111.6042°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Alberta |
| Subdivision Type2: | Region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Northern Alberta |
| Subdivision Type3: | Census division |
| Subdivision Name3: | 16 |
| Subdivision Type4: | Specialized municipality |
| Subdivision Name4: | RM of Wood Buffalo |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Title1: | Governing body |
| Unit Pref: | metric |
| Population As Of: | 2018 |
| Population Total: | 8 |
| Timezone1: | MST |
| Utc Offset1: | −7 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | MDT |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | −6 |
| Elevation M: | 200 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | T0V 1A0 |
| Area Code: | +1-867 |
Fitzgerald, also known as Fort Fitzgerald and originally Smith's Landing, is an unincorporated community in northern Alberta, Canada within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, located south of the Northwest Territories border, and southeast of Fort Smith.
Prior to the extension of railway service to Hay River, Northwest Territories, on Great Slave Lake, all cargo being shipped to or from the north had to be portaged from Fitzgerald to Fort Smith, to avoid four impassable rapids.[1] The community was known as Smith's Landing until 1915 when it was renamed Fort Fitzgerald after the late Francis Joseph Fitzgerald.[2]
Most of the community's services are provided from Fort Smith, including fire, law enforcement, health care, social services, and telecommunications.[3] Law enforcement is part of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police 'G division' in the Northwest Territories.[3] Since telecommunication services, including cellular and internet, are from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, the area code is 867, although Fitzgerald is located in what would be area code 780 in Alberta.[4]
An all-weather road, named Hay Camp Road, links Fort Smith and Hay Camp through Fitzgerald.[5]
Fitzgerald had a population of 8 people in the 2018 Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo census.[6] The population of the Thebathi 196 Indian Reserve in the federal 2016 census was 20,[7] a 33.3% decrease from the 2011 census which had a population of 30.[8]
Fitzgerald has a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc).[9] Summers are short and warm, and winters long and cold.
