I'd suggest getting a Maestro from Maestro Guitars, or a Harvest from Luthermusic. Both are locally made, but construction and tone-wise they are really bang for the buck.
As for the exact model you will have to make a trip down to see which of them can suit your budget.
I personally own a Maestro, and for the price i paid (abt 200-300), i think it's a really good guitar to have.