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Asters are notoriously difficult to positively identify, but I've done the best I could. Around Asheville I've spotted  two  white-flowered asters  - the above, and the White Wood Aster. (Unfortunately I did not get a photo of the White Wood Aster this year.)

 I am less confident in my identification of this particular aster - it could also be Starved Aster (A. lateriflorus) which is a very common species. I made up my mind based on the size and form of the leaves. You are welcome to argue with me.

The Small White Aster (or whatever it is) grows in sunny locations - I found it only along roadsides, at various elevations. The flowers are about 1/3" across with an average of 15 rays, and mostly with bright yellow discs. Some discs are reddish. The plant is many-branched, and some healthy specimens are downright bushy. Most plants are 1-1/2 to 2 feet high. All stems bear many flowers. The leaves are profuse but tiny and very narrow. All parts of the plant are smooth.

The White Wood Aster (A. divaricatus) grows, as its name suggests, only in the woods - not on sunny roadsides. It can be found more or less throughout or mountain region. It grows to about 2-1/2 or 3 feet high, with only a few branchings. It has a much more "open" structure than the aster pictured above, and has far fewer flowers that appear mostly at the top of the plant. The flowers are much larger than the above, about  1 inch across. The flowers are sparsely rayed - usually around 10. The leaves (especially the lower ones) are clearly heart-shaped, clearly toothed, and grow on a long petiole (stalk).

For more information on blue-violet asters, check the  Late Purple Aster  or Heart-Leaved Aster.