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

                                 February 14, 2003
                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
(a) Conference Call

               Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE: MAA)
                                4th Quarter 2002
               Earnings Release Conference Call February 14, 2003

Eric Bolton:
Good morning.  This is Eric Bolton,  CEO of Mid-America  Apartment  Communities.
With  me  are  Simon  Wadsworth,  our  Chief  Financial  Officer,  Al  Campbell,
Vice-President  of  Financial  Planning  and  Tom  Grimes,   Vice-President  and
Operations Director in our Property Management group.

Before  we  start,  I need to  remind  you that as part of our  discussion  this
morning we will make forward-looking statements. Please refer to the safe-harbor
language included in our press release and our 34-Act filings with the SEC which
describe  risk  factors  that may  impact  future  results.  This  call is being
recorded  and  the  press  may be  participating.  We  will  post a copy  of the
transcript of this call on our web site at  www.maac.net  immediately  after the
call. You may also access an audio copy of this call at our web site.

In our prepared  comments  this morning we will provide  additional  insights on
fourth quarter results.  Tom will review property management  operations for the
quarter.  Al will recap portfolio  performance by market and provide insights on
what we expect from our major markets for the remainder of the year.  Simon will
discuss our balance  sheet and  forecast  for 2003.  We will then open the phone
lines for any  questions  that you may have.  Our  prepared  comments  will last
approximately 22 minutes.

Let me start by  providing  you with  general  insights  on our  fourth  quarter
results,  as well  as a  recap  on the  progress  made  to date on the  business
strategy we laid out for you early last year. As you know, the apartment  sector
has been under some fairly  significant  operating pressure for the last several
quarters.  And  while  there  seems to be  general  consensus  that 2003 will be
another  tough  operating  year,  we  expect  that  Mid-America's  portfolio  of
properties will continue to outperform our peers in the apartment sector.

It is worth noting that for the quarter just ended,  as well as for all of 2002,
Mid-America's same store NOI performance exceeded our apartment REIT peer group.
And in addition,  Mid-America's  total shareholder  return for all of 2002, just
like  it was for  2001,  exceeded  the  investment  returns  of our  peer  group
companies.  Despite the well publicized pressures that converged throughout 2002
to create the weakness in apartment operating fundamentals, Mid-America was able
to generate  earnings  results for the year that were within 1 cent per share of
the  earnings  range we gave you early  last  year.  As you will  note,  our FFO
earnings  for 2002 were down only 1.4% for the entire  year as compared to 2001.
This was clearly one of the best performances of the apartment REIT sector.

There's  no  question  that our  operation  and  portfolio,  just like all other
apartment REITs,  has been put to the test over the last few quarters.  But, our
approach to this business has some unique  characteristics  to it that I believe
offer the opportunity  for higher,  risk-adjusted,  investment  returns over the
long haul,  and provide the ability to withstand down cycles better than most. I
would summarize those differences as follows:

o    First, we deploy capital in a diversified manner in large, middle and small
     tier  markets,  focused in a stable and steady growth region of the county.
     Each market segment provides different ways to create value for capital and
     these  differing  characteristics   collectively  generate  a  more  stable
     earnings platform.

o    Second,  we focus on product  that  appeals to the  largest  segment of the
     rental market;  avoiding the narrow market band at the very upper end price
     points, as well as the risky aspects of capital deployment at the lower end
     price points.

o    Thirdly,  we deploy  capital under a very  disciplined  approach and remain
     very  mindful  of the  cyclical  nature  of the real  estate  industry  and
     specific markets.

o    And,  finally,  we  remain,  always,  very  hands on  focused  to  property
     operations  and expense  control.  Company  culture and  constant  focus on
     operations and productivity is a key differentiator over the long haul in a
     highly competitive industry such as ours.

We believe that our approach to this business and our  investment  strategy will
continue to deliver long-term investment returns for our owners that will exceed
comparative benchmarks.

Our focus in laying the foundation for improving  dividend  coverage during this
weak part of the economic cycle through:

1.   completing lease up of our development pipeline,

2.   protecting value and cash flows of our existing properties,

3.   and 3, carefully  deploying  capital in partnership  with private  capital,
     made steady progress during 2002.

Lease up of our  development  properties  is  virtually  complete.  Our  company
culture  that is  based  on a very  hands  on and  intense  property  management
operation,  has clearly  continued  to generate  superior  operating  results as
compared to our peers and,  importantly,  protect  shareholder value during this
down  part  of the  operating  cycle.  And  we  remain  very  pleased  with  our
partnership with Crow Holdings.  Despite a challenging acquisitions environment,
we've  successfully  launched this new growth  initiative  this past year and we
look forward to continuing to expand this opportunity in 2003.

Our operation,  our properties and our balance sheet are all well  positioned to
continue  to ride out the  current  market  weakness  and we are  poised to make
improvements in earnings performance as the economy and markets strengthen.

I'd  now  like  to turn  the  call  over  to Tom to  recap  property  management
performance for the quarter.

Tom Grimes:
Same store occupancy performance during the fourth quarter averaged 92.6%, which
is down  from the 94.7% of the  preceding  third  quarter  and 93.2% of the same
quarter in the prior year.  We saw a fall off in  occupancy  in  December,  with
year-end  occupancy  at  91.9%.  Some of this  trend is  attributable  to normal
seasonal patterns.  While occupancy performances will of course vary quite a bit
based on local market  conditions,  we believe that overall portfolio  occupancy
performance will hold in the 91% to 92% range during the first quarter, which is
typically the low point of the year,  before picking up in the stronger  leasing
season of the second and third quarters.

Leasing traffic during the fourth quarter was  essentially  flat, as compared to
the same quarter of last year up .23%.

In  addition  to  the  slightly  weaker  occupancy  performance,  revenues  were
pressured  by an increase in  collection  loss as job loss and the weak  economy
took their toll.  Measured as a percent of net potential  rent,  collection loss
rose from .9% from the fourth  quarter  of last year to 1.1% this  year.  We are
vigilant in our operation about not compromising  leasing and credit  standards,
despite any  occupancy  pressures  and we are  comfortable  that the increase in
collection loss is attributable to the weak employment picture and slow economy.

We were  pleased  to see a  decline  in unit  turnover  as same  store  resident
move-outs  declined 2.1% as compared to the same quarter last year and was 68.3%
for the  preceding  12 months.  This is the third  consecutive  quarter in which
turnover has improved.  This  progress was made despite the current  robust home
buying environment.

Portfolio  wide we were  pleased  to see  concessions  decrease  by 10.4% in the
fourth  quarter as compared to the same quarter last year and down a significant
17.3% from the prior quarter. This is primarily  attributable to the improvement
in the Memphis portfolio. We continue to see high concession loss in Atlanta and
worsening  conditions in Dallas.  However,  the positive  performance in Memphis
partially offsets these two markets.

Various initiatives and programs associated with on-site operations productivity
continue to post solid results. Operating expenses, controllable at the property
level,  posted only a 1.8%  increase  on a same store basis over the  comparable
quarter of a year ago.  Performance  in this area is positively  impacted by our
significant  focus on resident  retention  and working to minimize the high cost
associated with obtaining new residents in this market environment.

Total  property  level  expenses  increased by 5.2% as our renewed  property and
casualty insurance program was effective at the beginning of the third quarter.

Al Campbell:
As Eric mentioned,  although the apartment sector continues to be under pressure
from the economic  downturn,  our portfolio has performed  better than most over
the  last  year  showing  the  strength  of our  diversification  across  large,
mid-sized,  and smaller markets throughout the southeast region. Pressure during
the quarter was most evident in our larger markets, where significant job losses
and  construction of new apartments  continue,  supported by record low interest
rates.  Our same  store  revenues  declined  5.7% for our  portfolio  in  larger
markets,  while our portfolio in mid-sized markets grew 0.3% and smaller markets
grew 1.7%.

Dallas  continues to be our most  challenging  market as negative  absorption of
over 8,000 apartment  units over the last two years has put tremendous  pressure
on occupancy  and rents in the market.  Occupancy  for our  portfolio  ended the
quarter  4.3%  below  the prior  year,  while  concession  levels  continued  to
increase,  producing a 10.4% decline in revenues.  We expect continued difficult
conditions in the Dallas market  throughout  2003, as apartment  completions are
again expected to outpace demand,  but long term we believe the Dallas market is
supported by strong  fundamentals,  which will eventually  bring recovery to the
market.

We also saw continued  weakness in our Atlanta and Austin  portfolios during the
quarter,  as both markets continue to work through the large number of new units
delivered  over the  last two  years  during  the  period  of  weakened  demand.
Occupancy for our Atlanta portfolio declined to 87.6% at quarter end, 3.1% below
the  prior  year,  while  concessions  remained  at  historically  high  levels.
Occupancy  for our Austin  market  finished the quarter at a  relatively  strong
93.8%,  but  concession  levels as a percentage of net potential  rent grew 4.1%
over the  prior  year.  Construction  levels in both  markets  have  shown  slow
reaction to market weakness,  but reduced multifamily  permitting levels for the
last twelve months in both Atlanta  (down 8.7%) and Austin (down 16.7%)  provide
initial signs of slowing. We expect continued difficult  conditions for both the
Atlanta and Austin markets throughout 2003, with recovery for both markets being
closely tied to the national economy.

We also began seeing some softness in our Tampa portfolio  during the quarter as
occupancy slipped to 89.2% by quarter-end.  We expect the Tampa market to remain
relatively soft throughout 2003, but our four properties represent only about 3%
of our total portfolio, which should not significantly affect overall results.

Our markets  producing  the  strongest  revenue  growth  during the quarter were
Memphis  (6.3%  growth),  Jacksonville,  (2.9%  growth),  Houston (.8%  growth),
Columbus, GA (3.1% growth), and Jackson, MS (.9% growth).

We were encouraged by the continued  improvement in our Memphis portfolio during
the quarter,  as both concession and vacancy levels improved producing increased
revenues while  controllable  operating  expenses were down over 8%,  creating a
13.7% increase in NOI. While the Memphis market has seen  significant  levels of
new unit  deliveries  over the last two  years,  we  expect  deliveries  for the
remaining  part of the current year and into 2004 to be more in balance with the
absorption rate, allowing for continued progress toward recovery.

As  mentioned,  we were pleased with the  continued  stable  performance  of our
portfolios in Jacksonville  and Houston during the quarter.  Looking in to 2003,
we do expect our Houston  portfolio to  experience  some  softness as the market
comes off a very good year.

We were also pleased with the stable  performance  of our smaller market tier of
properties  throughout the Southeast,  as 68% of these markets  produced growing
revenues  compared to the prior  year,  while 48%  produced  growing  NOI.  This
stability during the tough economic environment  underscores the strength of our
diversification strategy.

Looking at some of our portfolio wide initiatives,  we essentially completed the
roll-out of our resident  utility billing program during the current year (which
includes  water/sewer  and trash),  obtaining  nearly 95% portfolio  penetration
which produced almost $6 million in resident  reimbursements  during the current
year and is expected to produce an additional $1 million in 2003.

Simon Wadsworth:
Our  financial  position  has  continued  to  strengthen  as we've  finished the
development properties. Of the three remaining, Grande View Nashville and Grande
Reserve Lexington are almost stabilized,  with only Reserve at Dexter Lake Phase
III (in Memphis)  still in lease-up at 72%  occupancy,  and this should be fully
leased by the end of the second quarter.

As a result, our balance sheet has gained flexibility: our debt service coverage
has  improved  to 2.41  from  2.36 a year ago,  and our  fixed  charge  coverage
improved  to  2.44  from  2.35.  This  marks  the  sixth  sequential   quarterly
improvement on a year-over-year  basis. At the end of the quarter  approximately
84% of our debt was fixed, swapped, or capped.

We think that our balance sheet is  well-positioned  for our business  strategy;
our  portfolio  and our business is proving to be less cyclical than others that
are in the much riskier development business or those with big concentrations in
some of the more volatile larger metro areas.

Similarly,  our NAV per share has remained strong. We think our value remains in
the $26 to $28.50 range,  and any weakness in NOI has been more than made up for
by improved cap rates.

Our joint venture with Crow Holdings, in which we have a 1/3 interest, completed
the  purchase  of The  Preserve  at Arbor  Lakes in  Jacksonville,  FL for $22.1
million  in  mid-January.  Freddie  Mac  provided  a $14.9  million  loan on the
property  through  the credit  facility  that we've set up with them  within the
joint  venture.  As we announced in our press  release last week,  using funding
from our bank credit facility,  we've purchased 100% of Green Oaks Apartments in
Dallas, TX for $18.9 million,  and we expect this to be contributed to the joint
venture  in the next 60 days.  When we close the Green  Oaks  purchase  into the
joint  venture,  with our partners  we'll have  invested  about half of our $150
million plan for the joint venture,  of which 2/3 will be debt. These latest two
acquisitions should add approximately 4 cents/share to this year's FFO, which is
included in our forecast.

We  executed a contract  to sell The  Crossings,  an 80-unit  older  property in
Memphis,  for $4.6 million during the quarter;  we will receive a sub-7 cap rate
for this asset from a buyer  planning to redevelop  the site.  We expect this to
close in the second half of the year with the sale diluting this year's earnings
by around a penny/share, although we've considered this in our forecasts.

As we discussed in the third  quarter  conference  call, in October we completed
some significant  refinancings  which helped to reduce our average interest cost
to 5.8% from 6.0% at the end of the third  quarter.  Using our Fannie Mae credit
facilities, we completed $29 million of conventional and $30 million of tax-free
bond  refinancings;  we also  refinanced  our  9.5%  Series E  preferred  stock,
repurchasing it at a 7% premium,  and issuing new preferred series with improved
terms.

We are close to finalizing  the  refinancing  of almost $150 million of debt. We
expect to close this with Fannie Mae on March 3rd,  and we've  executed  forward
swaps  totaling $150 million to reduce our interest  rate risk,  with an average
life of 5 years. Including the impact of the deferred finance cost amortization,
the  average  rate on the  replacement  debt is 110 bp below the cost of the old
debt.  We'll see these  savings,  almost 8 cents/share  on an annualized  basis,
begin to impact our P & L in March.  Once this flurry of  financing  activity is
concluded,  we have less than $15 million of refinancings scheduled for the next
15 months.

You will have noticed that our property management expenses for the quarter were
reduced  compared to last year and the prior quarter.  The primary  reasons were
reduced  bonuses and reduced  Franchise and Excise Taxes;  in the same quarter a
year ago we also incurred some  one-time  costs.  This quarter you will see that
our non-real estate  depreciation costs increased,  of which $200,000 reflects a
one-time charge associated with discontinuing a landscaping business.

We're  comfortable  with  First  Call's  current  FFO  projection  for  2003  of
$2.75/share,  just one cent below 2002. We're  forecasting a modest start to the
year,  with the  first  quarter's  FFO in a range of $0.66 to $0.68  per  share,
slightly down from a year ago.  Compared to this past quarter,  we're projecting
same store NOI to be reduced by about  $500,000,  from a  combination  of weaker
revenues and increased expenses  (especially real estate taxes).  This is offset
by  improvements  in our  income  from our joint  venture  properties  and other
income/expense.  We're projecting first quarter  same-store NOI to be down by 5%
over the same first quarter of 2002;  for the full-year we think  same-store NOI
will drop by 2.5% with the trend improving  steadily as the year progresses.  By
the fourth  quarter of 2003, we think we'll begin to see positive year over year
comparisons,  partly  because the fourth  quarter of 2002 was  relatively  weak.
Since our insurance  renews in the third quarter,  we are hopeful that the shock
of the 43%  increase  we  experienced  in the  third  quarter  of  2002  will be
ameliorated  once we roll  into the  third  quarter  of this  year,  when  we're
projecting a 14% same-store increase in insurance costs.

In the  second  quarter,  we pick  up the  full  benefit  of the  interest  rate
reduction  from  our  March  3rd $150  million  refinancing.  We're  forecasting
FFO/share of 71 cents for the second quarter, then 68 cents in the third quarter
and 71 cents in the fourth  quarter.  We've also forecast the  completion of our
$150 million JV with Crow;  with $75 million,  or half,  now invested,  we think
that this is a realistic assumption.

We feel confident about our ability to execute our business plan and sustain our
dividend. Our concentrated focus is on improving our dividend coverage. As we've
noted in the supplemental data in our press release,  our dividend is covered by
our free  cash  flow.  Any  threat to our  dividend  would  come  from  either a
prolonged decline in our same-store NOI, or a drop in our FFO. We think the risk
of either of these events  occurring is slight.  Through our joint venture plans
we are actively working to protect the dividend further,  and we have confidence
in this  year's  FFO  projection.  You  will  notice  that  our FAD for 2002 was
$2.17/share,  just 2 cents below the level of 2001 and 17 cents ($3 1/2 million)
below our dividend of $2.34.  Free cash flow (which adds back non-cash  charges)
was $2.37 per share,  3 cents  better than the prior year,  and 3 cents ahead of
our  dividend.  So while we  recognize  that FFO  needs to grow to  improve  our
dividend  coverage,  and this is our primary  management  focus,  we do not feel
undue pressure.  For 2003, FAD and free cash flow should be similar to 2002, but
we expect this to show  improvement as our NOI starts to improve towards the end
of this year.

We spent $12.1 million, or $394/unit, on recurring capital expenditures in 2002,
up slightly from last year's  $376/unit.  In 2003, we plan to grow this slightly
to around $418/unit. We think that an average of around $400/unit is a good long
term average for our portfolio, and at 12 years, its age is amongst the youngest
of the  REITs.  We  spent  a  total  of  $17.4  million  last  year  on  capital
improvements to the existing properties, and project that we'll increase this by
$1 million  this year.  We believe it is most  important to continue to maintain
our  properties  in  top  condition   through  all  phases  of  the  cycle,  and
particularly during tough times.

Eric Bolton:
To  recap,  I want  to  re-emphasize  that  despite  the  challenging  operating
environment,   we  continue  to  post  fairly  stable   operating   results  and
importantly, continue to improve the balance sheet and coverage ratios.

Our properties are in excellent shape and are poised for stronger revenue growth
as  market  conditions  improve.  As a result  of our  heavy  focus on  property
management  operations and careful execution of our new acquisition  initiative,
we believe  that  Mid-America  is very well  positioned  for steady and  growing
earnings as the economy strengthens.

We remain comfortable with our current dividend pay-out level. Current net asset
value for MAA is higher than where the stock is currently  priced and we believe
that our operation and balance sheet are well positioned to continue to steadily
add to this value per share.  In summary,  our investment  strategy is sound and
will,  we  believe,  continue  to  provide  a  platform  for  long-term  steady,
predictable and growing revenue and NOI performance.

That is all we have in the way of prepared  comments  and we will now be glad to
answer any questions that you may have.


(b) Press Release

Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc.
A self-managed Equity REIT

From:         Simon R. C. Wadsworth

Subject:      MID-AMERICA FOURTH QUARTER RESULTS IN-LINE WITH FORECAST

Date:         FEBRUARY 13, 2003
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mid-America Fourth Quarter Results In-Line With Forecast

Memphis, TN, Mid-America Apartment Communities,  Inc. (NYSE: MAA) reported Funds
From Operations ("FFO"),  the generally accepted measure of performance for real
estate  investment  trusts,  of  $14,325,000  or $0.69 per share for the quarter
ended December 31, 2002. For all of 2002, FFO results were  $56,838,000 or $2.76
per  share.  Both the  fourth  quarter  and year  results  are in line  with the
company's  prior  published   guidance.   The  fourth  quarter  FFO  performance
represents  a slight  decline  of $0.01  per  share  from the  $0.70  per  share
performance  for the  same  quarter  of last  year.  The  $2.76  per  share  FFO
performance for 2002 is a 1.4% decline from $2.80 per share for all of the prior
year.  Net loss  available for common  shareholders  for the fourth  quarter was
$2,911,000  or -$0.16 per share  largely  due to  $2,041,000  in amount  paid to
retire  preferred  stock in excess of carrying  values related to the buyback of
the Company's  Series E Preferred  Stock.  This compares to net income available
for common  shareholders of $2,117,000 or $0.12 per share for the fourth quarter
of 2001 when the company recorded a net gain of $1,869,000  related to insurance
settlement proceeds.

Highlights for the fourth quarter were:

o    Leasing  remains  challenging  as a  consequence  of the  weak  job  growth
     environment and a strong home buying market.

o    Same store  occupancy at year end of 91.9% was down  slightly from 92.7% at
     the same point of the prior year.

o    Despite the tough  operating  environment,  the balance sheet  continues to
     strengthen as coverage ratios show steady improvement.

o    Refinancings of $59 million were completed,  with overall average  interest
     cost down to 5.84% from 6.35% a year ago.

o    Shortly  after  year end we closed on the  purchase  of  Preserve  at Arbor
     Lakes,  a 284-unit  community in  Jacksonville,  FL, which  represents  the
     company's second acquisition  through its joint venture with Crow Holdings.
     The Company also closed on the purchase of Green Oaks, a 300-unit community
     in Grand  Prairie,  TX,  after year end which it expects to transfer to its
     joint venture with Crow Holdings at a later date.

Eric  Bolton,   Chairman  and  CEO  said,  "The  operating  environment  remains
competitive. Historically low mortgage rates, weak job growth and pockets of new
construction  continue  to  pressure  demand/supply  factors  for the  apartment
industry.  These  pressures are more evident in larger metro markets as compared
to the secondary  and small city  markets.  While our portfolio of properties is
clearly  feeling the effect of the challenging  leasing market,  our diversified
investment  strategy in markets across the more stable  southeast  region of the
country continues to perform in a relatively  predictable and steady fashion. We
expect that the leasing environment will remain very competitive and challenging
throughout most of 2003.

"Despite the  continued  weakness in market  conditions,  we continue to believe
that  our  current  FFO  forecast  for  2003 of  $2.74  to  $2.78  per  share is
reasonable.  Our  projections for 2003 are based on a same store NOI performance
that is a 2% decline from the  performance in 2002. We forecast FFO per share of
$0.66 to $0.68 in the first quarter.  While the acquisition  market remains very
competitive,  we remain  confident  that we will be successful in completing our
Joint  Venture  investment  program  and have based our 2003  projections  on an
assumed additional $80 million in new property acquisitions."

Simon  Wadsworth,  Executive  Vice-President  and CFO said, "Our coverage ratios
have  improved  this year as our cost of debt has  dropped  and our  development
pipeline  becomes  increasingly  productive.   Our  fixed  charge  coverage  has
increased  to 2.44 for the fourth  quarter of 2002 from 2.35 for the same period
of a year ago. Our leverage, at 54% of undepreciated assets, remains steady. Our
dividend  continues to be secure within our 2003 forecast  range,  but we remain
committed to enhancing coverage."

"During  the quarter we  completed  the  refinancing  of $30 million of tax-free
bonds and refinanced $29 million of conventional  mortgage debt using our Fannie
Mae credit facilities.  We are making excellent progress towards refinancing the
$147 million of  maturities  in the first quarter of 2003 and have locked in the
interest rates on this  refinancing at substantial  savings over existing rates.
We are  pleased  with our new  credit  line  that is now in place  for our joint
venture  and  used  it to  finance  65%  of the  purchase  price  of its  latest
acquisition."

Al  Campbell,  Vice-President  and  Director of Financial  Planning  said,  "Our
performance  was more  stable  than most in the  multifamily  sector  due to our
diversified portfolio across small, mid-sized,  and large markets throughout the
Southeast.  Same store  property  revenues  were down  slightly at -0.2% for the
fourth  quarter  and -0.6% for the full  year.  Same  store  property  operating
expenses,  which excludes insurance and real estate taxes, were up only 1.8% for
the  fourth  quarter  and 2.1% for the full  year.  A  significant  increase  in
insurance  costs  associated  with the  renewal  of our  property  and  casualty
insurance on July 1st continues to have a significant  impact as total  property
level  operating  expenses  were up 5.2% in the fourth  quarter and 3.5% for the
full  year.  As a result,  same  store NOI  performance  was down  -3.3% for the
quarter and -3.0% for the full year,  with the weakest results coming from a few
of our large metropolitan markets."

"We are encouraged by the continued improvement in our Memphis market portfolio,
as both occupancy and concession  levels improved during the quarter producing a
6.3% increase in revenues over the prior year.  Dallas  continues to be our most
challenging  market,  as revenues  declined 10.4% from the prior year. We expect
the Dallas market to continue to struggle through most of 2003, as new apartment
deliveries  continue to outpace demand in the short term; however we are bullish
on the  long-term  prospects  for this market,  and we will continue to look for
attractive investment  opportunities during this down part of the cycle. We also
saw revenue declines in our Atlanta  portfolio (4.4%) and Tampa portfolio (5.4%)
as  compared  to the prior year.  We  continue  to post solid  results  from our
portfolios in Jacksonville, Houston, Columbus, GA, and Jackson, MS. In addition,
our smaller  markets  continue to produce stable results as a whole,  generating
1.7% revenue growth over the same quarter last year.

Eric Bolton said,  "The long term  outlook for the  multifamily  housing  market
remains encouraging,  particularly in the southeastern region of the country. By
diversifying  our  investments  over  large,   middle  and  small  tier  markets
throughout  this solid growth region,  we are able to deliver a more  consistent
and steady earnings performance.  Furthermore,  at an average age of only twelve
years,  our portfolio of properties is in great shape and well positioned to not
only compete in this tough  leasing  environment,  but produce  strong long term
results as the economy begins to strengthen."

"Our  balance  sheet is  strengthening  as our solid  portfolio  diversification
continues to deliver steady and  predictable  performance.  Coverage ratios show
improvement  and we are committed to the current level of cash dividends paid to
our owners.  Our strategy focuses on generating a steady improvement to earnings
and per share value growth along with further  strengthening  dividend coverage,
and it remains solidly on track."

MAA is a self-administered,  self-managed  apartment-only real estate investment
trust which currently owns or has ownership  interest in 34,507  apartment units
throughout the southeast and southcentral 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  market  conditions,  anticipated
acquisitions,   redevelopment  opportunities,  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,  shortage  of  acceptable  property
acquisition  candidates,  changes  in  interest  rates and other  items that are
difficult  to  control,  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.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In thousands except per share data

                                                                Three months ended December 31,   Twelve months ended December 31,
                                                                --------------------------------  --------------------------------
                                                                     2002             2001             2002             2001
                                                                ---------------  ---------------  ---------------  ---------------
                                                                                                          
Property revenues                                                     $ 56,562         $ 55,757        $ 226,951        $ 226,270
Property operating expenses                                             22,334           20,886           87,634           84,584
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  --------------------------------
Net operating income                                                    34,228           34,871          139,317          141,686
Interest and other non-property income                                     266              323              737            1,310
Management and fee income, net                                             205              186              775              755
FFO from real estate joint ventures                                        283              203              898              972
Property management expenses                                             1,851            2,521            8,633            9,561
General & administrative                                                 1,557            1,612            6,665            6,522
Interest expense                                                        12,067           12,272           49,448           52,598
Gain(loss) on disposition of non-depreciable assets                        (45)               -              (45)             229
Preferred dividend distribution                                          3,944            4,028           16,029           16,113
Depreciation and amortization non-real estate assets                       492              113            1,357              594
Amortization of deferred financing costs                                   701              657            2,712            2,352
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  --------------------------------
Funds from operations                                                   14,325           14,380           56,838           57,212

Depreciation and amortization                                           13,363           12,931           53,906           51,457
Joint venture depreciation adjustment included in FFO                      398              325            1,430            1,268
Gain(loss) on disposition of non-depreciable assets
    included in FFO                                                        (45)               -              (45)             229
Preferred dividend distribution add back                                (3,944)          (4,028)         (16,029)         (16,113)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  --------------------------------

Income before gain on disposition of assets,
    minority interest and extraordinary items                            4,553            5,152           17,576           20,371
Net gain(loss) on disposition of assets and
    insurance settlement proceeds                                          (40)           1,869              397           11,933
Minority interest in operating partnership income                         (127)            (469)            (493)          (2,573)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  --------------------------------
Income before extraordinary items                                        4,386            6,552           17,480           29,731
Ex item - Loss on debt extinguishment, net of MI                         1,312              407            1,339            1,033
Preferred dividend distribution                                          3,944            4,028           16,029           16,113
Amount paid to retire preferred stock in excess of carrying values       2,041                -            2,041                -
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  --------------------------------
Net income(loss) available for common shareholders                    $ (2,911)        $  2,117        $  (1,929)       $  12,585
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  --------------------------------

Weighted average common shares and units - Diluted                      20,634           20,489           20,613           20,464
Funds from operations per share and units - Diluted                   $   0.69         $   0.70        $    2.76        $    2.80
Weighted average common shares - Diluted                                17,709           17,568           17,561           17,532
Net income(loss) available for common shareholders
    before extraordinary items - Diluted (1)                          $  (0.09)        $   0.14        $   (0.03)       $    0.78
Net income(loss) available for common shareholders
    after extraordinary items - Diluted (1)                           $  (0.16)        $   0.12        $   (0.11)       $    0.72


(1)  For periods  where the  Company  reported a net loss  available  for common
     shareholders, the effect of dilutive shares has been excluded from net loss
     available for common  shareholders per common shares  computations  because
     including such shares would be anti-dilutive

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In thousands

                                                                 December 31,     December 31,
                                                                     2002             2001
                                                                ---------------  ---------------
                                                                            
Assets
Gross real estate assets                                           $ 1,452,362      $ 1,433,525
Accumulated depreciation                                              (283,593)        (229,913)
Non-rental real estate assets, net                                      23,454           13,321
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Real estate assets, net                                              1,192,223        1,216,933
Cash and cash equivalents, including restricted cash                    18,057           23,432
Other assets                                                            29,187           23,123
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total assets                                                   $ 1,239,467      $ 1,263,488
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liabilities
Bonds and notes payable                                            $   803,703      $   779,664
Other liabilities                                                       64,188           41,564
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total liabilities                                                  867,891          821,228
Shareholders' equity and minority interest                             371,576          442,260
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total liabilities & shareholders' equity                       $ 1,239,467      $ 1,263,488
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OPERATING RESULTS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dollars and shares in thousands except per share data


ROA                                                        Annualized        Trailing
                                                              4Q02          4 Quarters
                                                           ------------    ------------
                                                                     
       Gross Real Estate Assets, Average                    $1,478,792       $1,472,107
       EBITDA                                               $  124,704       $  124,999
       EBITDA/Gross Real Estate Assets                            8.4%             8.5%



                                                                Three Months Ended December 31,
                                                             ----------------------------------
                                                                  2002             2001
                                                             ----------------  ----------------
                                                                        
Common and Preferred Dividends as % of FFO (12 month rolling)      88%              87%
EBITDA/Debt Service                                              2.41x            2.36x
EBITDA/Fixed Charges                                             2.44x            2.35x
Total Debt as % of Gross Real Estate Assets                        54%              54%
MAA portion of JV debt (1)                                     $36,747          $27,107
Capitalized Interest YTD                                       $   239          $ 1,382




                                                               Twelve Months Ended December 31,
                                                             ----------------------------------
FAD                                                               2002             2001
                                                             ----------------  ----------------
                                                                        
       FFO                                                     $56,838          $57,212
       Recurring Capex                                         $12,123          $12,348
       FAD                                                     $44,715          $44,864
       Free Cash Flow (2)                                      $48,784          $47,810

       Average Common Shares and Units - Diluted                20,613           20,464

PER SHARE (DILUTED)
       FFO                                                     $  2.76          $  2.80
       FAD                                                     $  2.17          $  2.19
       Free Cash Flow (2)                                      $  2.37          $  2.34
       Distribution                                            $ 2.340          $ 2.340


(1)  2002 includes new joint venture with Crow Holdings

(2)  Includes  addback  of  other  non-cash  items,  primarily  non-real  estate
     depreciation and amortization.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OTHER DATA
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shares and units in thousands except per share data

                                                        Three Months Ended December 31,  Twelve Months Ended December 31,
                                                        -------------------------------- -------------------------------
                                                                  2002             2001            2002            2001
                                                        ------------------  ------------ ----------------  -------------
                                                                                                  
Weighted average common shares and units - Basic                20,449           20,348          20,415          20,359
Weighted average common shares and units - Diluted              20,634           20,489          20,613          20,464
Number of apartment units with ownership interest
    (excluding development units not delivered)                 33,923           33,411          33,923          33,411
Apartment units added(sold) during period, net                       -              120             512            (201)

PER SHARE DATA
       Funds from operations per share and units - Basic       $  0.70          $  0.71         $  2.78         $  2.81
       Funds from operations per share and units - Diluted     $  0.69          $  0.70         $  2.76         $  2.80
       Net income(loss) available for common shareholders
           before extraordinary items - Diluted (3)            $ (0.09)         $  0.14         $ (0.03)        $  0.78
       Net income(loss) available for common shareholders
           after extraordinary items - Diluted (3)             $ (0.16)         $  0.12         $ (0.11)        $  0.72
       Dividend declared per common share                      $ 0.585          $ 0.585         $ 2.340         $ 2.340




DIVIDEND INFORMATION (latest declaration)                  Payment          Payment          Record
                                                          per Share           Date            Date
                                                        --------------  --------------  -------------
                                                                               
       Common Dividend - quarterly                         $0.5850         1/31/2003       1/24/2003
       Preferred Series A - monthly                        $0.1979         2/14/2003       1/31/2003
       Preferred Series B - monthly                        $0.1849         2/14/2003       1/31/2003
       Preferred Series C - quarterly                      $0.5859         1/15/2003        1/2/2003
       Preferred Series F - monthly                        $0.1927         2/14/2003       1/31/2003


(3)  For periods  where the  Company  reported a net loss  available  for common
     shareholders, the effect of dilutive shares has been excluded from net loss
     available for common  shareholders per common shares  computations  because
     including such shares would be anti-dilutive


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMMUNITY STATISTICS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Properties are grouped by operational responsibilty and exclude properties in lease-up

                                                                    At December 31, 2002
                                             -------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                              Average
                                              Number of       Portfolio                     Rental Rate
                                                Units       Concentration     Occupancy      Per Unit
                                             ------------  ----------------  -------------  --------------
                                                                                  
Tennessee
    Memphis                                        4,429             13.5%         93.8%        $ 620.25
    Nashville                                        966              2.9%         91.0%        $ 685.96
    Chattanooga                                      943              2.9%         91.4%        $ 567.35
    Jackson                                          664              2.0%         88.4%        $ 610.96

Florida
    Jacksonville                                   2,846              8.6%         93.6%        $ 692.50
    Tampa                                          1,120              3.4%         89.2%        $ 758.16
    Other                                          2,518              7.6%         93.0%        $ 716.61

Georgia
    Atlanta                                        2,116              6.4%         87.6%        $ 783.83
    Columbus / LaGrange                            1,509              4.6%         92.5%        $ 651.30
    Augusta / Aiken / Savannah                     1,132              3.4%         93.6%        $ 626.92
    Other                                          1,742              5.3%         90.1%        $ 659.19

Texas
    Dallas                                         2,056              6.2%         86.8%        $ 647.66
    Austin                                         1,254              3.8%         93.8%        $ 670.71
    Houston                                        1,002              3.0%         96.4%        $ 674.15

South Carolina
    Greenville                                     1,492              4.5%         89.2%        $ 552.70
    Other                                            784              2.4%         91.6%        $ 677.38

Kentucky
    Lexington                                        924              2.8%         93.1%        $ 708.20
    Other                                            624              1.9%         91.7%        $ 618.60

Mississippi                                        1,673              5.1%         93.3%        $ 584.10
Alabama                                              952              2.9%         89.9%        $ 643.27
Arkansas                                             808              2.4%         95.9%        $ 614.19
North Carolina                                       738              2.2%         90.9%        $ 562.79
Ohio                                                 414              1.3%         84.3%        $ 695.90
Virginia                                             296              0.9%         94.3%        $ 715.71
                                             ------------  ----------------  -------------  --------------
                                      Total       33,002            100.0%         91.7%        $ 658.13



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SAME STORE STATISTICS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dollars in thousands except Average Rental Rate

                                     Three Months Ended December 31,             Twelve Months Ended December 31,
                                  -----------------------------------------   -----------------------------------------
                                                                 Percent                                     Percent
                                     2002         2001           Change           2002          2001          Change
                                  ----------  -------------  --------------   ------------  -------------  ------------
                                                                                           
Revenues                            $52,085      $52,175             -0.2%      $210,372        $211,731         -0.6%

Property Operating Expenses          13,593       13,354              1.8%        54,332          53,231          2.1%
RE Taxes and Insurance                6,815        5,967             14.2%        25,752          23,907          7.7%
Other Expenses                           88          171            -48.5%           438             690        -36.5%
                                  ----------  -------------  --------------   ------------  -------------  ------------
Total Operating Expenses             20,496       19,492              5.2%        80,522          77,828          3.5%
                                  ----------  -------------  --------------   ------------  -------------  ------------

NOI                                 $31,589      $32,683             -3.3%      $129,850        $133,903         -3.0%
                                  ----------  -------------  --------------   ------------  -------------  ------------

Units (1)                            28,803       28,803                          28,803          28,803
Average Rental Rate (1)             $656.00      $657.27             -0.2%      $ 656.00        $ 657.27         -0.2%
Average Physical Occupancy (1)        91.9%        92.7%             -0.9%         91.9%           92.7%         -0.9%


(1)  Values are at December 31, 2002 and 2001

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DEBT AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2002
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dollars in thousands


                                      Principal    Average Years   Average
                                       Balance      to Maturity      Rate
                                     ------------  --------------  ---------
                                                            
Conventional - Fixed Rate or Swapped    $ 541,918            7.4        6.9%
Tax-free - Fixed Rate or Swapped          122,783           24.0        5.5%
Conventional - Variable Rate              122,342           10.6        2.1%
Tax-free - Variable Rate                   16,660           28.6        2.5%
                                     ------------  --------------  ---------
     Total                              $ 803,703           10.9        5.8%




FUTURE PAYMENTS                                                                 Average
                                      Scheduled                                 Rate for
                                     Amortization     Maturities      Total    Maturities
                                     -------------  -------------  ----------  ----------
                                                                 
                               2003     $   3,512      $ 160,972   $ 164,484    6.3%
                               2004         3,650         71,671      75,321    7.0%
                               2005         3,891              -       3,891
                               2006         3,980         36,010      39,990    6.4%
                               2007         3,427              -       3,427
                         Thereafter       107,180        409,410     516,590    5.5%
                                      -------------  -------------  ----------  ----------
                              Total     $ 125,640      $ 678,063   $ 803,703    5.8%


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DEVELOPMENT PIPELINE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



                                                                       Units                         Percentage of Available
                                                   -------------------------------------------------
                                                                   Available                             Units to Lease
                                                                                                     -----------------------
                                                        Total       to Lease    Occupied    Leased    Occupied      Leased
                                                   -------------- ----------- ----------- ---------- -----------  ----------
                                                                                                  
Properties in Lease-up
     Grande View Nashville          Nashville, TN            433         433         381        387        88%         89%
     Reserve at Dexter Lake Phase II  Memphis, TN            244         244         232        234        95%         96%
     Reserve at Dexter Lake Phase III Memphis, TN            244         244         168        176        69%         72%
                                                   -------------- ----------- ----------- ---------- -----------  ----------
                                            Total            921         921         781        797        85%         87%



                                   SIGNATURES

Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  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:  February 14, 2003    /s/Simon R.C. Wadsworth
                            Simon R.C. Wadsworth
                            Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
                            (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)