  We present the first extensive X-ray study of the North-America and Pelican
star-forming region (NGC7000/IC5070), with the aim of finding and
characterizing its young stellar population. X-ray data from Chandra (four
pointings) and XMM-Newton (seven pointings) were reduced and source detection
was performed on each image. We complement the X-ray data with optical and
near-IR data from the IPHAS, UKIDSS, and 2MASS catalogs, and with other
published optical and Spitzer IR data. More than 700 X-ray sources are
detected, the majority of which have an optical/NIR counterpart. This allows to
identify young stars in different stages of formation. Less than 30% of X-ray
sources are identified with a previously known young star. We argue that most
X-ray sources with an optical/NIR counterpart, except perhaps for a few tens at
near-zero reddening, are likely candidate members of the star-forming region,
on the basis of both their optical/NIR magnitudes and colors, and of X-ray
properties like spectrum hardness or flux variations. They are characterized by
a wide range of extinction, and sometimes near-IR excesses, both of which
prevent derivation of accurate stellar parameters. The optical color-magnitude
diagram suggests ages between 1-10~Myrs. The X-ray members have a very complex
spatial distribution with some degree of subclustering, qualitatively similar
to that of previously known members. The distribution of X-ray sources relative
to IR-excess objects found with Spitzer is sometimes suggestive of sequential
star formation, especially near the Gulf of Mexico region, probably triggered
by the O5 star illuminating the whole region. Around this latter star no
enhancement in the young star density is found, in agreement with previous
results. We also determine the local optical/IR reddening law, and compute an
updated reddening map of the entire region.
