Nothing you are describing sounds too demanding. I live in WI and also have to deal with pot holes and frost heave cracks and find the wider rims and lower psi work well for that. You could get into carbon for that budget, although I don't know that you need to.

Take a look at the offerings at http://www.boydcycling.com/ and http://www.novemberbicycles.com/.

I would start with the Boyd Vitesse (aluminum) as it offers a lot for the money. Both companies are nice in that they offer some options on each build.