Our galaxy the Milky Way and our orbiting companion Andromeda are the dominant members of a small collection of galaxies, the Local Group, which is about 3 million light years across. Recently, it was recognized that the Local Group is simply a mass concentration in a thin "Local Sheet" of galaxies spanning 35 million light years. Furthermore, the largest members of the Sheet encircle us. This unusual environment may have played a role in guiding the evolution of the Local Group, and the Local Group may have influenced the evolution of the Local Sheet.