Hi Doug,
Belatedly- welcome to the CiC forums from me too
Been a similar path myself recently Finepix S6500 to Nikon D5000 - at nearer 3 times your budget
I had my reasons. Anway, it took me from 6 to 12MP, probably as far as you need go, as has been said. Part of the reason for that massive spend was to get a lens that equalled the 10x zoom range I was used to with the Fuji.
Anyway, look forward to questions in the other forums as they occur to you.
Regards,