For $500 beans I'd look at a Nikon 4800 (I just bought 5 for our offices) or a Canon
What really sets the stage for what kind of camera you want is what you intend to do with it.
If you're a realtor and take photos of houses, small and small resolution for posting or emailing photos is your forte. If you sit on the turn of a NASCAR race and snap photos of stock cars going 180 mph then nothing short of an SLR will do.
Somewhere in between point and click and SLR lay some nice cameras like a Nikon 5700, 8700, or 8800. I think the 5700 is probably in your price range now.
John