Distances to galaxies in the Local Group are reviewed .
In particular , the distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud is found to be ( m - M ) _ { 0 } = 18.52 \pm 0.10 , corresponding to 50 , 600 \pm 2 , 400 pc .
The importance of M31 as an analog of the galaxies observed at greater distances is stressed , while the variety of star formation and chemical enrichment histories displayed by Local Group galaxies allows critical evaluation of the calibrations of the various distance indicators in a variety of environments .