budget, budget, budget...
Start by determining what you can spend now, how that may change in the future and what is your final system, ie 5.1, 5.2, 7, 9.?, etc.
Were it me starting again and I lived in an area like yours I'd start by putting together a usb flash drive with 10 favorite songs/pieces...vary the genres...ie male/female vocals, band, orchestra, etc. Limit it to 10 or so, so you don't get overwhelmed making it difficult to compare/contrast.
Identify what is available in your area and within driving distance by brand...Klipsch, Paradigm, Focal, etc.
Visit shops carrying brands you can listen to. Take a note book and take notes, again so you don't get overwhelmed and they start to blur.
Typically we all tend towards a "sound" or two, whether it is the "B&W, Paradigm, Klipsch, etc" sound.
If you are able to decide on a "sound"/brand...again in your price range...why bother with $10k per pair when your budget is $1K per pair, it only complicates matters...but...the difference between $1k and 1.5k may be big enough to be worth it so listen to one step up and one step down to find your "sweet spot".
If your sweet spot is a bit over budget perhaps limit yourself to the fronts and use them for stereo music and merged for center speaker for HT/movies/etc using the AVR's software.
Add a sub...again a matter of choice...especially if going bookshelf speakers over towers for the fronts...top brands offer best choices/prices and free shipping trial periods.
Spending under $500 will get you a very good AVR especially if you can get last year's model, often at 50% discount from companies such as Crutchfield, Accessories for Less, etc., sometimes even Best Buy.
Generally you will have plenty of power for enjoyable listening at reasonable levels...if you run it at full power you may risk clipping and damage to your speakers but that is damn loud and generally not enjoyable. You can always add an amp for a reasonable cost in the future.
Some say the center channel speaker is not the most important, I disagree and tend towards the opposite as I watch more movies/TV than listen to music. I'd buy the center next and if it is more important than the fronts I'd buy the next up in the brands model line or at least in the same model line...again I'd rather save for 6 months or a year and get what I want than buy what I have the money for now and regret it in 6 months and start thinking about upgrade which is more costly overall...45 years of this has taught me many lessons lol.
Surrounds can be purchased for a reasonable price and IMO add ambiance and fill, which is important but not to the point of spending a fortune on a pair...ie I run Paragidm Prestige 15B bookshelfs/fronts, 45C center and Atoms (last version) for surrounds...they match very well and the Atoms are significantly less money than the 15B's.
I have no suggestions for Atmos, etc. speakers as I don't use them, 5.1 here, so no experience with them.
Most important, to me, suggestion I can offer is to take your time and listen to what is available and buy what makes your ears smile the biggest...and keep us informed...good luck and enjoy.
