In the states of Brandenburg, North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, the status of a "Große kreisangehörige Stadt" is conferred by the state government to municipalities with a certain population (Brandenburg: 35,000; North Rhine-Westphalia: 60,000; Rhineland-Palatinate: 25,000). In Brandenburg and North Rhine-Westphalia, there are also "Mittlere kreisangehörige Städte" with a population of more than 25,000. In Thuringia, a district-affiliated local authority ensuring adequate administrative and financial parameters may apply for the status. In 2005 the Schleswig-Holstein government declared Norderstedt in Segeberg District (part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region) a "Große kreisangehörige Stadt".