Originally Posted by
matimeo
Can you assemble and maintain a bicycle on your own? If so I would suggest the bikesdirect route. The Windsor Cyclo is $795, so a little out of your price range but one heck of a bike for the price and already geared for commuting and meeting all your other requirements.
Also from BikesDirect is the Windsor Tourist model at your $600 price point. It also has good gearing for commuting as well as the carrying capacity (already includes a rear rack) and flexibility of using wider tires. But, as mentioned, there is a little assembly required and it'd be good to at least know what to look over to be sure everything is working properly.
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/tourist.htm