hi ryan,
I think one of your best options for a very firm innerspring with as little as possible foam or fiber in the top comfort layers happens to be local to you which is Denver Mattress.
They use thinner layers of 1.8 lb polyfoam (good quality) and fiber in their firm mattress with your choice of various types of springs in their lineup and most of them are within your budget.
One other option you have is a mattress with a high quality polyfoam base layer and then a latex comfort layer over this. If this is a possibility worth considering for you … then there are a couple of good online choices, both of which are among the members of this site that specialize in online sales that make a good quality and value latex/polyfoam hybrids and are well within your $1000 budget. They are …
Hope this helps.
Phoenix
ADDED:
This is a list of possibilities for others in the Tyler area that may be looking for better quality/value and want to avoid the major brands. I would suggest some phone research with these before visiting them (along the lines of this article) to find out their level of transparency about the materials in their mattresses, their knowledge and service, and to get a sense of what to expect if you visit them (based on how helpful they are on the phone). I’ve also included the brands they carry (according to their websites) that I would focus on.
Denver Mattress® - The Easiest Way to Get the Right Mattress Tyler, TX. They are a regional factory direct manufacturer that makes a range of mattresses including their iChoice which is a “mostly latex” mattress with either a memory foam or latex topper, a line of innerspring mattresses, and a line of all latex mattresses as well. They disclose all the information about the materials they use in their mattresses and are typically good quality and value (and certainly better than mainstream brands). I would avoid the major brands they also carry.
http://www.ivansmith.com/ Tyler, Jacksonville, Athens, Longview, TX. and others in the larger area. Restonic, American Bedding.
http://www.mattresshq.com/ Tyler, TX. Sherwood, Sleep Designs, Mlily.
http://www.sleepmasterstexas.com/ Tyler, Longview, TX. American Bedding, Mlily
Phoenix