Hi Bill,
Welcome to the group. Before jumping into the deep end, I do suggest that you go to a star party and test drive some scopes before making any purchases. Also do you have any experience with stargazing and starhopping? If not then it is best to review what you like to look at first (i.e DSO's vs. lunar and planetary). With that knowledge you can proceed to make an informed choice. A word of warning though if you want to get into astrophotography, there is a steep learning curve and it usually involves a lot of heartache and a lot of cash
I am sure many here will elaborate further.
Hope that helps.
Darren