Tripod Suggestions

I'm looking to buy my first tripod. I've read some posts about them here on Newschoolers, primarily the tip I took from those posts was - buying nice instead of twice. I understand they can be a bit of an investment, just as lenses are but spending over $500 on a tripod is just unrealistic for me. I don't throw my shit around, I take good care of it…so if you can give me suggestions in the $5-$500 range for tripods that you would recommend I would appreciate it very much!