^ Roadies are nuts like that? Their bikes do start at that price and go on up to $5,000 for a lot of them. Not talking the exception like in MTBing. Many of them have $5000 bikes it seems.

But yeah, OP, entry level MTBs start at, like, $500. You're looking for a nice bike and in that price range you don't really need to worry about much. Anything you get is going to be a sweet bike. Based on what you said, I would consider whether you need full suspension, though. Do you have lots of choppy, rocky trails around there? Drops? If it's mostly singletrack or smoother trails, especially on a 29er, you may well not need, or even want, a FS bike. You'd get more for your money on a hardtail and depending on how much uphill you plan to do versus how rough the terrain is, a hardtail may be better suited to your riding. A hardtail will climb a lot better and be lighter.