EXHIBIT 99.1 PRESS RELEASE DATED OCTOBER 1, 2004



FROM:    SIMON R.C. WADSWORTH

SUBJECT: MID-AMERICA  ANNOUNCES PROPERTY DISPOSITION AND RECONFIRMS STORM DAMAGE
         ESTIMATE

DATE:    OCTOBER 1, 2004
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MEMPHIS,    Tenn.--(BUSINESS    WIRE)--Oct.   1,   2004--Mid-America   Apartment
Communities,  Inc. (NYSE:MAA) announced today that it has sold Island Retreat, a
112-unit community in St. Simons Island, GA, for $10.5 million.  The company had
owned the property since 1998 and has applied the proceeds to pay down debt.

The asset sale represents a cap rate of 5.5% and the company expects to record a
net gain of $5.8  million.  The company  will incur  lender  costs and  deferred
financing write-offs attributable to the sale of $44,000 that will be charged to
FFO in the fourth quarter.

Mid-America  also  confirmed  its prior  estimates  of the  impact on FFO of the
hurricanes and storms,  made before  Hurricane  Jeanne.  The company expects the
impact  on  FFO  of all  the  storms  to be in  the  upper  end  of  the  range,
approximately  2  cents  per  share,   mostly  falling  in  the  third  quarter.
Mid-America has only 30 apartments out of service of 7,269 that the company owns
in Florida, and expects these to be back in service by November 1st.

MAA is a self-administered,  self-managed  apartment-only real estate investment
trust, which owns or has ownership interest in 37,224 apartment units throughout
the southeast and south-central  U.S. and in Texas. For further details,  please
refer to our website at  www.maac.net  or contact Simon R. C. Wadsworth at (901)
248-4105. 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  and
expenses  at  Mid-America's   properties,   anticipated   lease-up  (and  rental
concessions) at development properties,  costs remaining to complete development
properties,  planned disposition,  disposition pricing, and planned acquisitions
and  developments.  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,  construction
delays that could cause new and add-on apartment units to reach the market later
than  anticipated,  changes in interest rates and other items that are difficult
to control  such as insurance  rates,  increases in real estate taxes in many of
our 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.