I hope this isn't too much of a noob question, but I am looking for a new linux distro, and I have some pretty specific things I want in it, which I'm not good at finding which distros have capabilities for and which do not. So I figured I'd list some of the things I am looking for and maybe some people can give me opinions on where to go. I have messed with Ubuntu 64 bit server (im looking for something in the realm of personal servers/workstations) and I like it, except that its Ubuntu. I want to branch out and try something new.

I'm looking for:
-home file server distro
-I like synaptic package manager, but don't mind using something else if it isn't much more difficult to use.
-I want it to be able to update the distro without a reformat(from what I remember some distros require a new install instead of a download/install/restart update for new versions of the distro itself)
-I would prefer things like ssh, ftp, sftp, apache, etc, preinstalled with the distro
-I don't need it to come with a Window manager upon initial installation, but it would be preferred
-stability over brand new releases when dealing with software
-I like having home directories containing /pictures /documents etc upon installation and user creation
-I don't mind it being much different than Ubuntu or Debian, but I don't want it to be insanely difficult to learn, as I would like it to be a usable personal server within a reasonable amount of practice with the OS

any suggestions are appreciated, thanks