I think a good approach is to start with little but good lightweight gear and only add gear as you determine what you need from your own backyard or car camping test trips where more gear is available if you need it.

Here is my minimal gear list. I generally backpack in WV wilderness areas, and these are similar to your area. You could start with this list, and try it out in the backyard or while camping near the car in a campground. There's just no substitute for trying things yourself to determinine what *you* need. You could buy everything on the list new for around $600.

You'd almost certainly want to add:
insect repellent
jacket
warmer sleeping bag (30F men's bag is a 40-45F women's bag)
bug netting for tarp, or maybe a light tent
water filter or Katadyn tablets for water treatment
gas canister stove, unless you can rely on cooking over a fire
larger compass

Check out packs from companies like:
Mountain Laurel Designs
Gossamer Gear
ULA

Check return policies, but ordering 2-3 packs you might like and then returning the ones you don't is a good strategy.

Marmot bags have a good price/quality/weight balance. Down is great, but you might want to go with synthetic until you're confident in keeping it dry, and also because of the humidity in your location. If you go with a synthetic bag, you'll likely need a slightly larger pack.