I have a D5100 - really like it. It replaced a D-60 with a messed up shutter. (which I'll probably spend the $250 on to fix and give to my son) The newer digitals are getting better at not needing a ton of light to take good pictures.
Still, (to the original poster) pay attention to the specs. Go to a camera store and try out the user interfaces on several cameras. See what makes sense to you.
I’ve had a Canon Eos Rebel T2i for a couple of years that I use primarily mounted on a tripod for product photography, but it works very well in the wild, too. Been quite happy with it. Likely still haven’t explored all the capabilities of it.
I’ve been admiring the Nikon D5100, though. Pretty close to the really high dollar units as far as specs but less than $1,000 with a package including lense. Seems to be hitting that “pro-sumer” hotspot better than anyone else at present.