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

                                 July 3, 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 5.  Other Event

Mid America Apartment Communities,  Inc. (MAA)

Mid-America Apartment Communities and Crow Holdings Form Joint Venture; Announce
Initial Acquisition

July 3, 2002

Mid-America  Apartment  Communities,  Inc. (NYSE: MAA), Memphis, TN. Mid-America
Apartments announced today that it has signed a partnership  agreement with Crow
Holdings  to pursue the  acquisition  of  multifamily  redevelopment  investment
opportunities.  The joint  venture is  expected  to acquire  approximately  $150
million of multifamily  properties located in major and select secondary markets
throughout  the  southeast  and  south  central  region  of the US.  Mid-America
Apartments  will provide  acquisition,  redevelopment  and  property  management
services  to  the  partnership  and  will  own  a  one-third   interest  in  the
partnership.

Mid-America  also  announced the  acquisition of the Preston Hills at Mill Creek
apartment  community in Buford,  GA, a suburb market of metro  Atlanta.  Preston
Hills is a 464 unit apartment community built in 2000 and was acquired for $33.7
million. The property is located near the new Mall of Georgia in Gwinett County,
a high growth  corridor  for the Atlanta  area.  Mid-America  and Crow  Holdings
expect  this  acquisition  to be the  first  investment  in their  newly  formed
partnership upon finalizing and closing the partnership debt financing  program.
The venture  expects to put in place a $100 million credit facility with Freddie
Mac within the next 90 days.

Eric Bolton,  President and CEO of Mid-America said, "We are excited to kick off
this joint venture with Crow Holdings,  which brings together two  organizations
with a successful  track record of  investment,  asset  management  and property
management  operations.  The long term  outlook  for the  Atlanta  metro area is
promising and we look forward to doing well on this investment with our partners
at Crow Holdings.  We are continuing to pursue a number of attractive investment
opportunities  in other  large  metro  markets in the  southeastern  US and look
forward to expanding this initiative."

Mid-America Apartment Communities is a NYSE traded multifamily REIT specializing
in  the  acquisition,  redevelopment  and  management  of  apartment  properties
throughout  the  southeast  and south  central US with over  33,000  units under
ownership and management. Crow Holdings is a group of international, diversified
investment  holding  companies  that owns and  directs  the  investments  of the
Trammell  Crow family and manages  investments  on behalf of the  Trammell  Crow
family and its investment partners.


MAA is a self-administered,  self-managed  apartment-only real estate investment
trust which owns or has ownership  interest in 33,923 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,  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.

                                   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:  July 3, 2002                  /s/Simon R.C. Wadsworth
                                    Simon R.C. Wadsworth
                                    Executive Vice President
                                    (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)