Can someone help me pick out my first speakers?

Yep I fully agree with @hoosierinohio. and @12many. You must listen to speakers before you buy them... if you can.  And what someone likes in terms of sound is really different for everyone. Klipsch, Magnepan, Devore Audio, Wilson, B&W and so many others sound so different, but also good.

@hoosierinohio 

I second what hoosier said.  In this price range, there will be very different sounds signatures so you really need to listen to see what fits your ears the best.  I was shopping for my Dad hears ago and some sounded great and some very flat.   Look for sales or close outs.  I saw some speakers on music direct that were about 40% off in the mid priced range.  

Good suggestions above but trust your own ears first and foremost.  Kind of like saying pick a liquid to drink.  Some will say water, soft drinks, milk, others beer, wine, scotch, etc..  I for example like many of the above but for some reason have yet to hear a Polk that I liked.  Polk hits my ears like sour milk hits most people's taste buds.  I can be with people and we're all listening to Polk and they are ear to ear smiles, while I'm in misery.  Good luck and happy listening. 

test

Crutchfield.

Polk, PSB, Paradigm, or Wharfedale.

Elac

If you want to connect a source like a CD player or a subwoofer you can get the PW600. Remember, you won't need amps or speaker cables:

Congratulations! If you get a pair of these Paradigm PW300 on sale you will have an entire streaming system. You won’t need an amp because they are powered speakers. You can download an app to your phone and stream from many sources such as spotify, pandora, tidal, and even local files you already own.

Review:

https://www.soundstagesimplifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/32-paradigm-pw300-wi-fi-loudspeakers

@avanti1960 you're right. I only suggested the 12.0 because it was in budget for the OP. 

buy from music direct or crutchdfield

anything with at lesst a 6 1/2 inch woofer will make u happy. 

5 inch woofers are too small for good bass. 

wharfdale, elac, etc

+1 for Wharfedale Diamonds

At that price point I really don't think you can go wrong with these: 

Open box special. Was $349 now $279 and Music Direct has a generous 30 day no hassle return policy. I had the slightly bigger 12.2 and foolishly let them go.

I recommend the PSB Alpha P3 ($300) now available on Audio Advisor. Quite a nicely  engineered speaker for the money!

Check out Music Direct and Audio Advisor.

Do you have an amplifier that you will be using with said speakers?

The Pioneer BS-22 speaker sold for $130 when available. Possibly you can find a used pair.

Wharfedale Diamonds also a good choice. Designed as a quality budget speaker for a nice budget system. Not difficult to drive.