UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON D.C. 20549

                                    Form 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT

                     PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

                                 October 2, 2002
                Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)

                    MID-AMERICA APARTMENT COMMUNITIES, INC.
               (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

        TENNESSEE                     1-12762                   62-1543819
(State of Incorporation)      (Commission File Number)       (I.R.S. Employer
                                                          Identification Number)

                         6584 POPLAR AVENUE, SUITE 300
                           MEMPHIS, TENNEESSEE 38138
                    (Address of principal executive offices)

                                 (901) 682-6600
              (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

             (Former name or address, if changed since last report)

ITEM 9.  Regulation FD

Mid America Apartment Communities, Inc. (MAA)
Announces Intent to Offer Series F Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock

Memphis, TN October 2, 2002. Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE: MAA)
announced  today  that it intends  to offer to the  public  1,050,000  shares of
Series F  Cumulative  Redeemable  Preferred  Stock.  The Company also intends to
offer the  underwriters an option to acquire up to 50,000  additional  shares of
Series F Preferred Stock to cover over-allotments, if any. Raymond James will be
the sole managing  underwriter  for the  offering.  It is  anticipated  that the
offering will be completed on or about October 15, 2002. It is expected that the
net  proceeds   from  the  offering   will  be   approximately   $25.2   million
(approximately  $26.4  million  if the  underwriters'  over-allotment  option is
exercised  in  full).  The  net  proceeds  from  the  offering,   together  with
approximately  $1.6  million   (approximately   $350,000  if  the  underwriters'
over-allotment  option is exercised  in full) of  additional  borrowings  by the
Company,  will be used to redeem all 1,000,000 shares  currently  outstanding of
the Company's 9 1/2% Series E Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock.

A prospectus with respect to the proposed offering may be obtained by contacting
the Company or Raymond James.

MAA is a self-administered,  self-managed  apartment-only real estate investment
trust which currently owns or has ownership  interest in 33,923  apartment units
throughout  the  southeast and south  central U.S. For further  details,  please
refer to our website at  www.maac.net  or contact Simon R. C. Wadsworth at (901)
682-6668, ext. 105., 6584 Poplar Ave., Suite 300, Memphis, TN 38138.

Certain matters in this press release may constitute  forward-looking statements
within the meaning of Section 27-A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E
of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. Such statements include, but are not
limited to, statements made about anticipated growth rate of revenues, expenses,
and net operating income at Mid-America's properties,  anticipated lease-up (and
rental  concessions)  at  development   properties,   planned  acquisitions  and
dispositions,  and property financing.  Actual results and the timing of certain
events could differ  materially  from those  projected in or contemplated by the
forward-looking  statements due to a number of factors,  including a downturn in
general  economic  conditions  or  the  capital  markets,   competitive  factors
including  overbuilding or other supply/demand  imbalances in some or all of our
markets, changes in interest rates and other items that are difficult to control
such as insurance rates,  increases in real estate taxes in numerous markets, as
well as the other  general  risks  inherent  in the  apartment  and real  estate
businesses.  Reference  is hereby made to the filings of  Mid-America  Apartment
Communities,  Inc.,  with the  Securities  and  Exchange  Commission,  including
quarterly  reports on Form 10-Q,  reports on Form 8-K, and its Annual  Report on
Form 10-K,  particularly  including  the risk  factors  contained  in the latter
filing.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the  solicitation of
an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or
jurisdiction  in which such offer,  solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior
to registration or qualification  under the securities laws of any such state or
jurisdiction.




                                   SIGNATURES

Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchnage  Act of  1934,  the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

                            MID-AMERICA APARTMENT COMMUNITIES, INC.

Date:  October 2, 2002      /s/Simon R.C. Wadsworth
                            Simon R.C. Wadsworth
                            Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
                            (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)