New to snakes...

[xprm311x]

hey guys, I'm new to the forum and have never owned a snake. I've had multiple other pets (multiple cats, dogs, birds, rabbits, mice/hamsters, anoles, frogs, and a leopard gecko) and have been occasionally reading about snakes on and off for the last few years whenever I start to think about buying one... but now I can afford to do so, and am looking into it seriously. I was looking at either a cornsnake, kingsnake, or maybe a pall python (I want something with a little bit more girth, so I dont feel like I'm holding a little garden snake, but nothing that is gonna grow to like 10 feet... something I could still handle by myself). I'm looking for opinions and advice on the subject. The local pet stores have some of the things I would need, but I could use a few good sites for some of the supplies such as digital thermometers and something to measure the humidity. I'm still debating on what substrate to use... I was thinking either papertowels, or some woodchip substrate such as aspen, but I have heard that is bad do to the possibility of impaction. I've also seen people use what looks like flat grey carpet around here.
also, I live in a furnished basement and it's a little on the chilly side down here but not too horrible, does anyone else manage to maintain good temps in a somewhat chilly room?
oh and lastly... the local pet stores are horrible, and I live in a small city and dont know of any local breeders... does anyone know of any online breeders with good reputations?
anyways, thanks for any help
-Pat