Welcome Braden.
In short, you're right, there are a lot of quality bicycles to choose from for well under $1K.
Having said that, probably the most consistently offered advice for someone just starting out is to make sure the bike they pick (regardless of price) fits. A local shop is probably the best source of help on this, but there are plenty of sources avail on the web to give you a working idea of what size bike will work best for you. The fine tuning aspects of fitting won't be there on the web, but you'll get a general idea of frame size.
The next choice for you will probably be whether to buy new or used. As a first time buyer myself just a year or so ago, I found spending some time at a shop and buying new was a better choice for me--in addition to the fitting stuff, I got to ask tons of questions about what made one bike more expensive than another, differences in frame materials, etc..
Style of bike (road, trail or mountain, hybrid, commuter, etc.) is another important choice. Most bike styles emphasize a certain aspect of riding over another--for example, road bikes tend to emphasize speed and efficiency, trail bikes emphasize usability on less than perfect riding surfaces, etc..
You'll find, in general, there are a number of large manufacturers--you mention Kona, but you can add Cannondale, Trek, Schwinn, Specialized, and lots of others-- who all offer competing bikes at specific price points, with decent bikes starting at around $400-$500 and moving up to the $thousands. But between $500 and $1K you're looking at a number of well-made bikes with decent components that will meet your needs for some time to come.
IMHO none of these manufacturers are selling crappy bikes--the differences in price points essentially come down to weight and durability of their frame materials, and to a much larger extent, components.
Most of the popular cycling magazines have their Spring buyer's issues on newstands right now--it might be worth picking a couple of them up, or maybe just hit their websites and check out their reviews of bikes in the $500-$1K range. You'll be surprised at how many nice bikes are out there in your range.
Last thing I'll offer (other than an apology for droning on ;-), is budget a few bucks for some accessories--a helmet, maybe some padded cycling gloves, shorts, etc., that will make your riding safer and more comfortable.
Happy hunting!
Bill