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 EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934


                        December 29, 1998
        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 340
                    MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE 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 events. Following notification of the New York Stock Exchange, the
following press release was announced on January 5, 1999:


Memphis, TN: January 5, 1999. Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (MAA:NYSE)
today  announced  that on December 29, 1998 it sold 1 million shares of its 9.5%
Series  E  Cumulative  Preferred  Stock  in a direct  placement  with a  private
investor.  The  Series E  Preferred  Stock was  priced  at $25 per share  with a
dividend payable  monthly.  The securities have no stated maturity date and will
not be  subject  to any  sinking  fund.  After 5 years,  the  securities  may be
required by the  purchaser  to be  redeemed by the Company in (at the  Company's
selection) cash or common stock at the market price at the time.

MAA received net proceeds of  $24,750,000  after offering  expenses,  which were
used to pay down its line of credit.

MAA is a  self-advised,  self-managed  apartment  only REIT  which  owns  34,977
apartments in 13 states, including 1,652 units under construction;  there are an
additional 927 units in pre- development.


  For further  information,  contact  Simon R.C.  Wadsworth at  (901)682-6668,
      ext.104 6584 Poplar Ave., Suite 340, Memphis, TN 38138, (901)682-6600
                       FAX: (901)682-6667
                          www.maac.net






                           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:    January 11, 1999          /s/  Simon R.C. Wadsworth
         -------------------       ----------------------------------------   
                                        Simon R.C. Wadsworth
                                        Executive Vice President
                                       (Principal Financial and Accounting 
                                        Officer)