Only Three Cities Pass the 'Trilemma' Test

"When looking for a place to live, people are generally looking for three things: affordability, a strong economy, and good quality of life," according to an article by Alissa Walker. The problem: "Most US cities can only claim excellence in one of these areas. A dozen cities specialize in two. But if you truly want it all, you only have three choices."

That claim is supported by new research by Josh Lehner at the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis on the housing "Trimlemma," which weighs the balance of the considerations when deciding where to live.

"Lehner looked at the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the country, comparing them for quality of life, affordability and economic strength across several metrics using Census data and several other indicators," according to Walker, and came up with three cities that pass the test: Oklahoma City, Omaha, and Des Moines.

Walker shares infographics for illustrating the trilemma concept and insights into how some cities came up short compared to the three aforementioned triple threats.